Boxed Set: Intercepted by Love (The Complete Collection): Books One - Book Six

by Rachelle Ayala

  “How did you get such a wonderful place? I thought rent is a king’s ransom there.”

  “It’s Cade’s house. He’s letting me stay for free.”

  She’d knocked her parents speechless.

  “I couldn’t keep lying to you.”

  “But what about that woman he got pregnant?” her mother stammered. “Isn’t he marrying her?”

  Behind her, his father shook his head vigorously, as if to say that was not a sufficient reason to marry, but Andie’s mother was a church goer, and now that Andie had been away, she could see how her mother had influenced her into pushing Cade to so-called “do the right thing,” which might have included marrying someone who didn’t love him.

  “Cade ought to have a wife who loves him,” Andie finally said. “And that woman deserves the same. She actually hasn’t been around. I think once she got his promise to support the child, she stopped hounding him.”

  “That’s good, I guess.” Her mother sounded hesitant. “What’s your relationship with him?”

  “We’re just friends.”

  “And he’s letting you stay at his house rent free?” Both her parents arched their eyebrows.

  Darn. She’d lied again. It came as naturally as breathing. Lying because of fear was still lying.

  Andie bit her lip and took at deep breath. “Friends for now, but I’m hoping we can be more.”

  “Does he feel the same way?”

  Her father flapped his hand, seeming to warn her not to say more, but Andie wasn’t going to keep evading. Her parents deserved to know the score as much as she knew it.

  “I think he does. He’s been really kind and sweet, and Gollie and Red love each other, although now that Gollie’s fixed, they don’t get it on anymore, at least not when we’re around.” She chuckled and continued, “I love Cade. I really feel it and I think he loves me, too. He’s afraid I won’t love his baby, but how could I not? I’m just waiting for the baby to be born to show him, because he won’t believe me if I say anything right now.”

  What was going on? Even her mother was pointing at her, or rather something behind her.

  Cade cleared his throat. “Sorry, your door was open and …”

  Andie clapped her hand to her mouth. “How much did you hear?”

  “Everything.” His brow creased, and he evaded her gaze. “Look, I’ve something to tell you, but I see you’re busy.”

  “No, wait. Something’s wrong. Tell me.”

  He wavered at the door. “I have to go to the hospital. Roxanne went into premature labor. She’s only thirty-two weeks along.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Andie grabbed ahold of his hand.

  “You go ahead,” her mother said. “Tell us if you need anything. Oh, before I forget, there was this large legal envelope for you. It was returned to sender, and I forwarded it to your work address a few days ago.”

  “Sure, thanks. I gotta go.”

  “Bye, sweetheart and we’re praying for that darling baby.”

  “Thanks,” Cade said. “Appreciate it.”

  “Bye, Mom, bye Dad,” Andie said, but her mother had already disconnected.

  Cade switched off the projection TV and wiped the sides of his face. “I don’t know what to do. Rob called me and said they brought her to the hospital because she was cramping and spotting blood.”

  “Oh, no. I hope the baby’s okay.” She hugged him tightly. “We’ll get through this together. I promise.”

  Chapter 15

  Cade held Andie’s hand as they jogged through the shiny marbled entrance of the Celebrity Highland Hospital of Westwood. The designer decorated lobby and wooden paneled elevators were a far cry from the county hospitals where he’d spent his youth in crowded waiting rooms with his foster mother.

  His son deserved the best, and right now the baby was in grave danger.

  “Any update?” he asked Rob, Roxanne’s brother, as soon as they rounded the corner and spotted him.

  His agent, who usually looked dapper in a three piece suit and tie, was wearing sweats and running his hands through his tangled hair.

  “They have her on medication to prevent labor. Her cervix is slightly dilated, but so far the contractions are sporadic, which is a good thing. They have her on antibiotics to prevent infection.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  Rob glanced at Cade in a distracted manner and said, “She wants to speak to you, but you must keep her calm. Any upset could trigger contractions.”

  “Sure, if it’s okay with the doctor.” Cade squeezed Andie’s hand and pulled her to his side. “Rob, this is my girlfriend, Andie Wales. Andie, Rob’s my agent.”

  “Sure, nice to meet you,” Rob said. “Uh, under the circumstances …”

  “It’s okay, I’ll wait here,” Andie said. “I’m here for Cade.”

  “You going to be okay?” Cade kissed Andie on the cheek. “I’ll be just a minute.”

  Her smile was warm and genuine. “I’ll wait here, go ahead.”

  She was so sweet and supportive, taking the edge off the stress. He’d make it up to her later. Girlfriend. Had he really slipped that word in? It sounded right. Felt right. Seeing Andie at the bar with her coworker just about killed him. He still hadn’t dealt with Ronaldo over kissing her, but not now. The baby came first.

  Taking deep breaths, Cade followed Rob into Roxanne’s private hospital room. She looked pale and shriveled up, bony except for the round abdomen under the sheets.

  “How are you feeling?” Cade took the chair at her bedside. It was strange staring at a woman he barely knew, but one pregnant with his child. If only he could be starting his family with Andie. It didn’t seem fair that she had to stay at the sidelines.

  Roxanne greeted him with more of a grimace than a smile. “It’s not hurting as bad as before. The drugs seem to be kicking in.”

  “You must relax and rest. Don’t think about anything. Just breathe and try not to worry.” He fluffed her pillow. “Whatever you need, let me know.”

  “I don’t want to stay on bedrest for four more weeks.” Roxanne jutted her lower lip. “I looked it up on the internet. Babies born at thirty-two weeks have a high chance of survival.”

  Cade scratched his head and appealed to Rob. He had no idea what the odds were for a baby born this early. “Isn’t the baby due in September and we’re only in July?”

  Roxanne sighed loudly and threw her hands up. “I’m really busy the next few weeks with the back-to-school lineup. I’ve got deadlines to meet, suppliers to negotiate with, deliveries to schedule, and that’s not including the clearance sales to move the summer stock out.”

  Roxanne was a buyer for a high-end boutique in Beverly Hills and traveled frequently to New York and other locations to spot trends and work with vendors.

  “What does the doctor say?” Cade asked.

  “He says I should stay in bed until thirty-eight weeks, ideally, but at the minimum, thirty-six weeks which means I’m shot for back-to-school. I’ve been angling for a promotion in time for the holidays. You don’t understand anyway.” She rolled her eyes and slumped back on her pillow. “Bedrest sucks.”

  “Technically, the baby’s lungs aren’t fully developed until thirty-six weeks,” Rob said. “But the baby can stay in an incubator and the survival rates are pretty good. Rox wants to know if you’re okay with them pulling the baby out earlier by C-section.”

  “Whoa, whoa, wait. If the baby’s lungs aren’t ready, why are we talking delivery? I thought we were trying to stop labor.”

  “We are,” Rob replied. “But the doctor said some patients with preeclampsia have to deliver early, and they can give Rox steroid injections to help the baby’s lungs to develop.”

  “Are you asking me if I’m okay with this?” Cade spread his hands out, palms up. “Shouldn’t we do what’s best for the baby? If we can stop the labor and Rox can go on bedrest, it’ll give the baby a fighting chance.”

  “Except, I can’t stay in bed.
I won’t.” Roxanne crossed her arms. “It’s not your career on the line. I’m twenty-seven already, and some guy fresh out of design school’s sucking up to the boss and ready to take my place.”

  Cade palmed his forehead and walked across the room. A chart with pictures of fetuses at various stages of development was hanging on the wall. A thirty-two week old had a better chance than one born earlier, but it would require extensive care in the NICU and be subject to respiratory distress as well as other problems.

  “It’s our child in there.” He said, staring at the pregnancy wall chart. “We should give him the best outcome possible. It’s only a few weeks of your life, but it could make a big difference in his life.”

  “That’s what the doctor said,” Rob agreed. “But my sister’s hyperactive, and I doubt she’d even stay in bed. It might be better to have a planned delivery in the hospital than to find her giving birth in a dressing room or at a fashion show.”

  “This isn’t right for the baby,” Cade said. “It says here a thirty-two weeker has trouble managing his temperature and may need to be tube fed. You’re buying yourself a lot more trouble down the road if the baby has health problems.”

  “It’s not like you have to give up anything,” Roxanne’s high-pitched voice sneered. “You men just sit there passing the cigar while we women have to do all the work. Anyway, once they discharge me, I’m going to at least work from home.”

  “That’s fine if you’re physically resting.” Cade snatched his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll hire a nurse to take care of everything else.”

  Roxanne groaned and bent forward, clutching her abdomen. Rob rushed to her side and rubbed her shoulder. “Another contraction?”

  The breath sizzled through her teeth. “Yeah. It got all tight. A little painful, but not too bad.”

  “I’ll get the nurse.” He signaled to Cade. “In the meantime, we’ll leave. I can see this conversation is upsetting her.”

  Roxanne wiped the hair back from her face and glared at Cade. “What’s upsetting me is you acting like the only reason I’m here is to be an incubator for your baby.”

  “That’s not what I said.” Cade crossed his arms and bit back the rest of his words. “Please, relax and rest. I’ll find someone to take care of you as soon as they discharge you. You can stay at my place too.”

  “Like I want to join the party. What are you? A halfway house for strays?”

  # # #

  Andie’s heart burned, and her fists clenched tight when Cade told her Roxanne wanted to cut the baby out earlier so she could go to a fashion show.

  They had left the labor and delivery floor and were sitting at the hospital cafeteria.

  Andie stirred sugar and cream into her coffee. “And that’s why you invited her to live with us? So we can watch her?”

  “Sort of.” Cade’s mouth turned down in a frown. “She compromised by saying she’d work from home, but not to expect her to do anything other than lie in bed. No grocery shopping, cooking, and only getting up to go to the bathroom.”

  “O-okay. Sure. We have to do whatever it takes to save the baby.” Yes. Now was her chance to prove to Cade how much she loved him. “I’ll ask Ronaldo how many vacation days I have, although I just started.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “So I can help out.”

  Even though a part of her was sorely disappointed that she wasn’t having Cade’s baby, it couldn’t be helped, since it had all happened before they’d even met. Cade made mistakes, and he was paying for it. Seeing him so concerned about the baby and Roxanne stirred her heart. He’s a good man, and he’ll be a good father. I want to be a part of it, and I need to stop being jealous.

  “Uh, no, I’ll hire a nurse.” He took her hand and rubbed it. “I appreciate it though. You’re a sweetie.”

  Warmth invaded her cheeks, and she couldn’t help smiling. He was getting so romantic too, so unlike a grouchy football player only interested in sports and scoring.

  “You introduced me to Rob as your girlfriend. Seems you forgot to ask me,” she teased and wiggled her shoulders, angling for a kiss.

  Cade’s knee jittered below the table as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “About that trip around town, how’d you like to spend the day with me playing tourist before the midsummer night concert at the Hollywood Bowl?”

  Nice deflection.

  “No lie, I’d hate to.” Andie tilted her head and winked. When a man was nervous about saying something, it meant he really cared. Much more genuine than a womanizer used to throwing terms of endearment around to play and score.

  “Hate you, too,” Cade pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “Let’s have a horribly awful day.”

  “You got it, outlaw.”

  Chapter 16

  “Oh, gosh, I can’t believe you.” Andie squealed when Cade appeared at her doorway wearing a loud tie-dyed shirt, oversized sunglasses, camouflage trousers, and a wide brimmed Indiana Jones style fedora. “Are you trying to look like a tourist?”

  “Of course. I can’t be caught by paparazzi. You didn’t see them when we were leaving the hospital, and I tried to shield you, but I’m sure there were a few pictures taken before we got into the car.”

  “Oh.” Andie’s stomach lurched. “Why would they be interested?”

  “Gossip. Slow news day. Roxanne’s been compliant with my gag order, but now that she’s been taken to the hospital, the newshounds smell a story.”

  “Should I wear sunglasses, too?” Andie fumbled through her dresser drawer. “Should we skip the Hollywood tour and do something more private?”

  “No way.” Cade swiped her hair aside and smothered her lips with a deep kiss.

  She momentarily got lost in it, letting her tongue meld with his. Now that he was back in her life, she couldn’t keep her hands, mouth, or feelings off of him. Good thing they were going to spend a day outdoors. Truth to tell, she was nervous about what would happen after the evening concert under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. She wanted everything to be perfect.

  “Thanks for sticking by me at the hospital,” Cade whispered, taking a breath. “It meant a lot to me that you agreed to help me with Roxanne.”

  “I wish it were me. I mean, not at the hospital, but you know … the baby.”

  “Same here. I wanted my first born to be with the woman I love, but I screwed up. There’s so much I didn’t know about relationships and stuff. I never had parents to show me the way.”

  Wow. If only she had fireworks to light. He’d slipped in that she was the woman he loved.

  “Shhh …” She tapped a finger on his lips, trying to deflect her overwrought expectations. “You did the best you could. When do you think they’ll let her out of the hospital?”

  “Rob promised to call.”

  “What if she convinces the doctor to go ahead with the C-section?”

  “She won’t. While you were dressing, I called my lawyer who contacted the doctor. If he fucks with my baby, I’ll sue him for medical malpractice. They’ll keep her until he believes she’s stable enough for home care.”

  “Good for you.” Andie had new respect for Cade and his convictions. What a cuddly, but fierce Papa Bear. “I’ll help in whatever way I can. If you want me to stay in her room and watch her, I will.”

  “I’ve already got the guard dog ready to move in.” He chuckled.

  “Who? Red or Gollie?”

  “Grandma. My mom’s going to be the nurse. When I called her to let her know about Roxanne and the baby, she hounded me to let her do the job. Said she owed it to me.”

  “Wow, seriously. That’s great.” Andie couldn’t believe how things were lining up in Cade’s life, and it was wonderful. He deserved happiness after all the trials of his childhood. “So, you guys are getting along?”

  “Sort of.” He stepped away from her and rubbed his jaw. “Are you, er … are you okay with all of this? I mean, if not, we can have Roxanne move into my mom’s house.
That’ll give us some privacy.”

  Andie tapped his chest, shaking her head and making sure to frown. “I’m only the roommate, remember? Separate schedules, no obligation to check in?”

  His delicious blue eyes studied her face several moments before crinkling as his cheeks dimpled with a sly grin. “So impatient. Why don’t you hold all your questions until after our horrible day and worst date ever?”

  Great. He caught her angling to be the girlfriend again. After all, she had to have some consolation now that his mother and baby mama were both moving in.

  Oh well, gotta be patient. Guys hated women who pushed for commitment too soon, or so the magazines said.

  She bumped his hip. “Then let’s get out of my bedroom, tour guide. I’m dying to walk down Hollywood Blvd and find my star. You think any of the handprints will fit me perfectly?”

  “That’s the fun part. Then we’ll know it’s in our stars.”

  Andie put on a pair of Jackie O sunglasses and a wide-brimmed straw hat. She pulled out a gaudy Hawaiian shirt and wrapped it around her waist over her tank top.

  “Incognito, you think?”

  He gave her a thumbs up. “Definitely.”

  # # #

  “How much cheese can they stick in a tourist trap?” Andie said as she and Cade strolled hand in hand after visiting the Ripley's Odditorium, Guinness Book of Records Museum, and the Hollywood Wax Museum.

  “Oh, come on, you were mugging it up next to Bella and Edward.” Cade swiped through the photos he took on his phone.

  “Was not. Ugh. They looked so fake.”

  “That’s the point.” He chuckled. “Did you like how I photobombed those tourists from China?”

  “Yeah, they thought you were Indiana Jones escaped from a hippie commune.”

  “How about you? You should have worn your Dorothy costume. Bet you could have collected tips.”

  “I’d need a smaller dog than Gollie,” Andie said. “What next?”

  “Shall we look for your hands and feet imprints outside of the Chinese Theatre?” Cade grabbed her hand and they strolled over sidewalks covered with stars. It felt weird to be walking over people’s names, but she supposed people in Hollywood got used to it, so she tried not to gawk.