One Night Stand (New Yorker III)

by M. O. Kenyan

“That wretched place again. It’s the source of all your problems. You should sell it, tear it down or burn it.”

  “Do you want to hear my story?”

  Rich told Harold the story and watched as the emotions played over on his face. But there was one emotion they seemed to share—worry over Catalella’s emotional state. “You know that girl is emotionally unstable. She can’t raise a child. You need to get her to sign over custody.”

  “Funny thing, she asked me to sign over my parental rights.” Rich chuckled. “She’s a bulldog.”

  “Ethan!”

  Rich knew that tone of voice anywhere. His father had used it with him whenever he was in trouble. All of a sudden he felt like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar instead of a CEO billionaire. He shouldn’t have used the word ‘bulldog’—it was a dead giveaway.

  “Is that what that fight in the conference room was about?” Harold rose to his feet and paced about the room. “How could you be so stupid? Now she has you in a contract you can’t get out of.”

  “She doesn’t want my money.”

  “I know that. I know her father and he’s going to string you up by your toes.” Harold sighed. “Are you going to meet her family?”

  “No…I don’t know. We haven’t even talked about us raising the baby together. I only found out last night. She told me, we had a fight and I left.” Rich winced when he thought about the pain he saw in her eyes when she thought he was asking her to have an abortion.

  “You weren’t raised to run away from your responsibilities. I will not let you shame your family name by being a coward.” Harold continued to pace. “I think we can get the annulment. Ava has abandoned you for more than five years. You’ll need to marry the Ross girl.”

  “Don’t you think Catalella and I should make that decision?” Rich asked.

  “You already did that by getting her pregnant. When you finally arrange to meet the family, make sure I’m with you. ” Harold then belted out a laugh. “I’ll be damned, if only your father were here to see this.”

  “See what?” Rich asked confused.

  “Just talk to Catalella, I’ll handle Ava,” he said then walked out.

  Rich stood up, then saluted mockingly. “Yes sir!”

  “I heard that,” Harold called out from the other side of the door.

  * * * *

  It was Friday and the thought of going home that weekend to face more questions about ‘Rich-ard’ exhausted her. Being pregnant was tough on her. She didn’t have the same stamina that she had before, and the stress of her family, and now Rich, was taking any strength she had left.

  She sat on the couch eating a bag of chips, thankful she was finally able to eat something. It wasn’t exactly the healthiest choice but the only choice. The salty snack was the only thing she could put down that the baby wouldn’t send back up. She sat and watched a few cartoons, forcing herself to become accustomed to the characters before the baby arrived. But when she heard the doorbell she froze. She hadn’t seen or heard from Rich for the past three days and she had no doubt that it was him. It couldn’t be anyone from her family—her mother had made sure that they each had a copy of her keys. They would walk in, not ring the doorbell. She stood up and made up her mind to open the door. They needed to have this talk and the sooner they did the sooner it would be over.

  “Come in,” she said without looking at him.

  “Thanks,” she heard him mumble. “What’s with the bag of chips?”

  “It’s the only thing that I can eat at the moment,” she said as she looked at her now shrunken room. Rich was taking up all the space and, judging by the tightness in her chest, all the air too. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

  “No thanks.” Rich sat down on the sofa and she joined him. “Why are you watching this?”

  “I’m just getting prepared. Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  She chanced a glance at him and noticed he was staring at her. She felt herself squirm, lost as to what to do next. “Did you want to talk about the baby?”

  “I’m not going to run away from my responsibilities. I’m going to be in this with you, but I have to take care of some details before I can fully commit.” His voice was soft but filled with hope.

  “I wasn’t trying to trap you.”

  “I know. But I wasn’t prepared for this. The company is taking a lot of my time and for the longest while I thought that would be my only responsibility. I have to grow up a lot faster than I anticipated.”

  “You are twenty-eight,” she pointed out.

  “But I haven’t always been responsible. When my father died I realized I had to grow up, and so far I have been getting by with the little maturity I was able to gain. But a baby is another thing. Being responsible for another life—” He faltered, then sighed. “That is something else entirely. I can’t mess this up. I only have once chance at this.”

  “You’re scared. It’s understandable.” She gave him a weary smile. “I’m scared too, but not about scarring my child for life. I’m scared that I will never get to hold my baby.”

  Panicked, Rich grabbed her hands and turned toward her. “Is the cancer back? Is there something wrong with the baby?”

  “Calm down. The baby and I are fine. But I don’t have the best of luck. My doctor told me this was my one chance…after this baby I could never have another.” She shrugged. “But nothing good ever happens to me. For a while I thought if I acted like there was no baby, if I pretended that I didn’t care, it wouldn’t be taken away from me. I’m terrified because I want this baby so much that I would literally die if something happened.”

  “Don’t think like that. My luck is lousy but I’m optimistic.” Rich cupped her face, wiping her stray tears with his thumb. “I think we should move in together.”

  “Whoa!” Catalella exclaimed as she jumped off the couch. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. You can keep your apartment and I can keep mine, just in case we have other partners—although I would appreciate it if you didn’t sleep with anyone else while you’re carrying my child. But we should definitely get a place together—a three-bedroom apartment. We could each have our own rooms and a nursery.”

  “How long would this be for?” she asked cautiously.

  “As long as we can make it work. Maybe we could get married later on.”

  “No, I’m never getting married again.”

  “Fine. But I should probably meet your family.”

  “About that…”

  Chapter Seven

  Catalella sat in the passenger seat and watched as Rich drove them to her parents’ house. They had taken his Range Rover Sport. He insisted that it was much safer than her SUV. His uncle Harold followed behind them. She didn’t see why the old man had to come, but Harold had insisted.

  Catalella had to tell Rich about telling her family that his name was Rich-ard. He found it hilarious but she was worried that her father would think she was irresponsible. But they had to tell her family the truth. Rich had told her about buying the restaurant when the owner refused to admit him and a few of his friends after a fight broke out. He said the guy he was fighting with, Ali, had given him the nickname, Rich. Later they had become best of friends.

  Catalella saw what he meant when he said he had to do some growing up. She only hoped that he was ready for his biggest responsibility yet and over his frat boy phase. She looked at how he dressed in baggy jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers, and groaned. Her father would take one look at him and tear him apart. For a second she wished he had brought his Armani suit with him. He looked sexier dressed casually, but she didn’t think her father would appreciate it the same way she did.

  “Are you all right?” Rich asked as he reached over and touched her hands which were folded neatly on her lap, his fingers caressing her belly.

  “I’m perfect.” Catalella trembled when he released her hand and lay his on her small round belly. The tenderness in that act made her hear
t want to explode.

  “What are you worried about?” He stroked her cheek with his fingers and smiled. Although he had shades on she knew that his eyes were smiling too. It was hard to imagine that the same guy that had freaked out four days earlier was caressing his baby through her skin and stroking her cheeks.

  “That my dad is going to kill me,” she huffed.

  “I’ll protect you,” Rich said before he took her hand and kissed it.

  “Okay, right now you’re confusing me,” she said, as she tried to retrieve her hand from his and failed. “You freaked out on me, and then suggested that we have an open relationship while we raise our child, and right now you are acting like we’ve been in love for a hundred years.”

  “I’m playing the role of your boyfriend. Does it bother you when I touch you?” He looked at her for a second before turning back to the road.

  She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought. It didn’t bother her…it excited her. Her mind was set on keeping their relationship platonic but her body was against the idea. With her now raging hormones she wanted to do nothing more than to have sex with him every single second of the day. “No, it doesn’t bother me. It affects me.”

  He laughed and Catalella felt her heart grow warm. “I’m confident about how sexy I am, but I think the pregnancy and the hormones have you on overdrive.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve read a couple of books. I need to be informed about my baby and you. Your body is changing and you are more hormonal. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” He shot her a smile.

  “So for my sake could you keep the sexy grins to a minimum?” She laughed and when she did she felt so liberated.

  “I’ll try, but knowing that my baby is growing inside you is so damn sexy,” he teased her.

  The laughter stopped when they got to the large gates to her father’s estate. Catalella began to panic, sure that they weren’t ready for this show of commitment but terrified that being here with her family would only confirm it.

  “I’m right here with you, and I’m not going to run,” Rich said as he squeezed her hand.

  “You thought about it?”

  “I think every guy who knocks up a girl outside marriage is terrified about meeting her father.”

  “Right now I would advise it.” If her father didn’t take a swing at him, AJ or Reno definitely would. Either way he wouldn’t be leaving the Ross estates unscathed. “Remember, they think you’re my boyfriend. My mother will be heartbroken if she thinks I haven’t gotten my complete package,” she pleaded.

  “Complete package—baby, love and a husband.” She watched as Rich swallowed hard. He was terrified and she could see it. “I’m not sure if we’re going to have that. But I can promise you that today you are the only woman I want to be with.”

  Catalella almost felt her heart running away with his words. She reigned it in and took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. He sounded convincing, but so had Michael Mathews. She was going to keep up the ruse for her mother, but by sunset tomorrow they would be back to being their true selves. She held her breath as her mother and father stood outside the front door to meet them. She glanced at Rich and he smiled at her.

  “Wait for me,” he said as he got out of the car and walked round to her side. He opened the door for her and helped her out of the car. “Be careful.”

  “I’m not going to break,” she whispered.

  “I know.” He smiled at her as he held onto her hand, walking by her side as they came face to face with her parents.

  “Mama, Papa.” Catalella hugged her parents then stepped back to Rich’s side. “This is Rich, I mean this is Ethan McCrery.” She heard footsteps coming behind them and Catalella remembered their tail. “And this is Harold Henry, Ethan’s godfather.”

  She watched as her father shook Rich’s hand, studying him the whole time. Then he shook Harold’s hand and there seemed to be even more there, as if they had a past. Catalella shot her mother a look and could see how nervous she was. She looked at Rich and they exchanged a glance that told her he was just as confused as she was.

  “Come in,” Rosalinda said finally.

  The two men disappeared into her father’s study, leaving Rich and Catalella staring after them.

  “Ay papi muy encaliente.” Catalella frowned at her sister’s rude exclamation.

  “Lisette,” she warned.

  But Rich gave her a curt nod and a smile then replied, “Gracias.”

  “You speak Spanish?” Catalella asked, stunned.

  “I do.”

  “You didn’t tell me.”

  “You never asked.”

  “Already arguing like a married couple,” Rosalinda said as a smile beamed on her face. “Come on, he has to meet the rest of the family.”

  “Peanut!” Catalella launched herself into her brother’s waiting arms when she spotted him. She felt his body go rigid and his arms stiffen as he put her down. He took a step towards Rich and, before she could introduce them, AJ punched Rich in the face.

  “What the hell, AJ!” Catalella said as she went to Rich’s side. She had never seen her brother hit anyone that hard and was surprised that Rich was still standing.

  “You knocked up my sister, Rich,” AJ growled as Reno held him back.

  “I didn’t know she was your sister, Ali,” Rich groaned.

  “Ali?” Catalella asked when it dawned on her. “AJ is Ali?”

  She watched the two men and it was obvious that they knew each other. Catalella buried her fingers in her hair and shrugged. There was no way her day could get any worse after this. Then she remembered that she had to tell her family that she got pregnant from a one night stand. She didn’t think they would buy the story that she and Rich were in a committed relationship.

  “I guess my son has settled the score. But I come with a reward.” Adrian walked into the room with a bottle of his hundred-year-old whiskey. Harold was at his side and both men looked relaxed.

  “I bet Four would have gotten a kick out of this.” Harold chuckled.

  “Four?” Rich asked. “You mean my father?”

  “Yep.” Adrian bellowed a laugh. “I miss him, though. Sorry I wasn’t at his funeral.”

  “He was dead. I don’t think he minded,” Rich put in.

  “How do you know Harold, and Rich’s dad?” Catalella asked as she held an ice pack to Rich’s face.

  “The four of us used to be best friends,” Harold said. “Me, Adrian, Dennis and Ethan. We went to college together, then something happened and we split up.”

  “Harold went with your dad and Dennis stayed with me,” Adrian went on.

  It was then Katherine decided to make her entrance. She froze at the glass doors, the plate of burgers in her hand threatening to spill on the floor. “Daddy?”

  “Daddy?” AJ gasped.

  “Hey, kitty cat, I decided that I would come meet your fiancé today,” Harold said.

  “Four would have found this hilarious.” Adrian burst into laughter and Harold followed.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny. Ouch!” Rich exclaimed and he took the ice pack from Catalella. “Why did you split up?”

  “Because of me,” Rosalinda put in. “Your mother and father weren’t divorced at the time and I met Adrian and Ethan at the same time.”

  “Let me guess—they both wanted you but you chose papa so their best friends picked sides,” Lisette interjected. “Mama, you’re Yoko.”

  “Lisette!” It was AJ who had issued the warning. He walked over to his soon to be father-in-law and shook his hand. “Good afternoon, sir. It’s good to finally meet you.”

  “I won’t lie to you, I didn’t want my daughter to marry you. I thought I was betraying Ethan’s friendship by allowing it,” the old man admitted. “But since Ethan junior has crossed the line even further I think I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t allow this wedding to take place.”

  “Thanks.” Katherine winked at Rich.

 
“Anytime, kitty cat.” Rich grinned back.

  “Enough with the past—a drink to my old friend and to his son and his sperm.” Adrian raised his glass.

  “Papa.” Catalella could feel her face getting red, and it didn’t help that Rich seemed as amused as everyone else in the room.

  Everyone drank except her and Lisette. Catalella retrieved some orange juice for herself and her sister. Lisette’s bump was already evident as it stretched her shirt at her midsection. Catalella was growing bigger, and she couldn’t wait until she got that big. She was back with their drinks just in time for her father to make another toast.

  “To my two grandchildren on their way to join my family.”

  Rich froze and stared at her. “You didn’t tell me we were having twins.”

  Everyone burst out laughing at the panic in his eyes. “My sister, Lisette, is pregnant.”

  “AJ, you need to catch up,” Adrian said.

  “We’re going to wait until we get married. That’s the right way of doing it.” Catalella didn’t miss the warning in her brother’s tone or the look he shot Rich. The veiled message in his statement was clearly meant for Rich.

  “I’m working on it,” Harold said before he gulped his whiskey.

  Catalella watched Rich get acquainted with his childish side as he hung out with her niece and nephew. Reno Junior and Rhyne were proving to be a workout for him—at the ages of four and two they had too much energy. But Rich still tried and that gave Catalella hope.

  “He’s a good guy,” Lisette whispered in her ear.

  “He’s scared of failing at being a dad.” Catalella laughed as Rich pushed Rhyne around on her tricycle. The sound of his bellowing laughter and her tiny shrieks filled her heart.

  “Reno doesn’t like me telling people this, but when I showed him my pregnancy test he froze.” Lisette laughed. “He held on to it for like a lifetime. I went to bed and the next morning he was still on the couch staring at the two bars. Later that afternoon he bought the whole baby section in the book store, he started constructing a baby’s room in a town house we didn’t own yet, and was shopping for baby stuff. He seemed to be in a trance.”