The Baby Promise

by Tia Wylder

  Once we were inside, we were taken to a small, windowless room. It wasn’t very cheerful – the walls were concrete blocks painted with a dull yellow – but my heart was pounding all the same, and my palms were sweating. We were only alone for a few seconds before a judge in black robes joined us.

  He smiled when he saw my gown. “You’re my favorite bride today,” he said, smiling. “I like your dress.”

  I grinned. “Thank you.”

  Peter smirked. “See,” he whispered, leaning in close and kissing the side of my neck. “I have the best girl.”

  The comment made me blush harder than I should have.

  The judge took Peter’s hand and put it in mine. He stood before us and opened a book, glancing down to the pages before smiling warmly at Peter and myself.

  “We are here today to bring Honey Walters and Peter Anastas together in marriage,” he said, his deep voice booming through the room. “And I am going to give y’all a little advice. Marriage is forever. It’s hard – it’s not always easy. But you’re going to be strong, and you aren’t going to let anything come between you. Don’t let family come between you. Don’t let kids come between you. Don’t let others come between you. Love each other, and be good to each other, you hear?”

  The judge gave me a stern look, and I nodded quickly. Then he turned to Peter. “And you,” he said. “Do you agree?”

  Peter nodded. He was standing very straight and tall, and suddenly, it hit me.

  I was falling in love with this man.

  The judge continued: “Peter, do you swear to always be with Honey, through sickness and health, through wealth and poverty, for the rest of your life?”

  “I do,” Peter said.

  The judge smiled and nodded. He turned to me. “Honey, do you swear to always be with Peter, through sickness and health, through wealth and poverty, for the rest of your life?”

  “I do,” I said in a soft whisper. Peter squeezed my hand.

  “Now, if you have rings, you may place them,” the judge continued.

  When Peter pulled a red leather box from his pocket, I began to sweat again. When Peter opened the box to reveal a beautiful pear-shaped diamond solitaire set in platinum, I gasped.

  Peter grinned. “I knew you’d like it,” he whispered as he took my left hand in his and slid the ring onto my ring finger. I couldn’t believe it – it fit perfectly. The diamond was huge, but not ostentatious – it twinkled and glimmered from nearly every angle. The ring was soldered to another ring – an infinity band of diamonds that fit around the pear shape of the engagement diamond.

  Peter handed me a simple platinum band and gestured to his own hand. I took his hand in mine and slipped the ring on.

  The judge smiled serenely down at us. “Now,” he said in a solemn tone. “By the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Peter, you may kiss your bride.”

  I flushed as Peter leaned close and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me delicately but with passion.

  I can’t believe it, I thought as our kiss deepened.

  I’m married to the man of my dreams!

  Chapter 16

  Peter

  The Monday after my wedding, I called Evangeline and told her to set an appointment with my father. I was nervous as Renaldo drove me from my condo to the office. I hadn’t told my father anything about Honey, yet, and now I was about to show up with a band on my finger and a marriage certificate in my hands.

  I knew Honey was paranoid – she hadn’t brought it up again, but even a blind person could have seen that she was worried. As much as I wanted to reassure her, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it completely until I had the go-ahead from my father.

  When I got into the office, Evangeline handed me a cup of coffee.

  “Mr. Anastas will be coming to your office,” she said, glancing down at my desk. “In about ten minutes.”

  I blinked. I hadn’t expected my father to make time for me so soon.

  “Thank you, Evangeline,” I said, taking a sip of the coffee. It did little to calm my nerves. “I appreciate your help.”

  “How was your weekend?” Evangeline asked as she cleared some crumbs and wrappers from the end of my desk. “Do anything fun?”

  I smirked. “Oh, yeah,” I said, thinking of the wild night Honey and I had spent together after the wedding. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “That’s nice to hear,” Evangeline said sweetly. She had barely left my office when I saw my father’s silhouette through the frosted glass. He let himself in without knocking and shut the door, sitting down on my leather couch and giving me an expectant look.

  “Hi,” I said nervously.

  “Peter,” my father said, chuckling. “Relax. What’s going on? Your girl said it was urgent.”

  The thought of anyone calling the middle-aged Evangeline a ‘girl’ was funny, but I couldn’t let it distract me.

  “I have good news,” I said, sipping my coffee and standing up.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I got married over the weekend.”

  “Oh, Peter, that’s wonderful news,” my father said, but his voice wasn’t exactly warm. “Congratulations to you and Pamela.”

  “Not Pamela,” I said, frowning. I hadn’t expected this.

  “Oh?”

  “Honey,” I said. “Honey Walters. We met a few weeks ago, and the spark was intense. We went to City Hall.”

  My father raised his eyebrow. “Peter, does this mean what I think it means?”

  “Yes,” I said, unable to keep a trace of smugness from my voice. “We’re expecting a child.” Well, hopefully, I added in my head.

  My father narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t this a bit sudden?”

  “No,” I lied. “Of course not. Honey is a perfect wife. She comes from a very tony family on Long Island. She’s very used to people of our class, and she’ll be wonderful at my side during events.”

  My father frowned.

  “I know it’s a surprise,” I said, trying to keep my voice as light as I could. “But Honey is a wonderful woman – when you meet her, I’m sure you’ll love her.”

  My father nodded. There was a deep crease in his brow that I hadn’t ever noticed before.

  “Well, I can see you’ve made up your mind,” he said slowly. He reached into his desk and pulled out an unobtrusive little envelope. “I have the documents here…I had a feeling I’d be seeing you soon.”

  I frowned. I didn’t want to think about what that meant, exactly – was my father thinking that I’d decide to marry Pamela, after all?

  My father passed me a piece of paper, and I scanned it quickly. Sure enough, it was all there. As soon as I turned thirty-five, Spyros Magnate would be all mine.

  “What are you going to do?” I asked my father.

  “I’ll remain on the board of trustees, and advise you during your first few years,” my father said smoothly. “And Peter, I hope you won’t discount my advice. I know you think you know everything, but right now it’s a good idea to keep your head down and learn as quickly as possible.”

  I nodded. Maybe it was because of my father’s serious tone, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly intimidated.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a fountain pen. Uncapping it, I signed my name in big scrawling letters at the bottom of the document.

  “And Peter, I’ll need a copy of your marriage license and certificate,” my father continued. “Not that I don’t trust you, of course.”

  I nodded again. “Yeah,” I said slowly. “I can do that.”

  By the time the meeting was over, I felt like I was in the middle of a dream. I shook my father’s hand and walked out of his office, feeling light as air.

  That was when I saw it.

  A flash of blonde hair, a bright spring coat.

  As quickly as I could, I darted around a corner and peered back at the hall. Pamela, my ex, was walking confidently into my father’s office. Bef
ore I had time to grab her arm and demand to know what the hell she was doing in my office, the door slammed, and the shade rolled down over the glass.

  My heart was thumping as I ran back to my office. Evangeline was sitting at her desk, typing slowly away at her computer.

  “Evangeline,” I said quickly. “Has there been anyone to see me?”

  “No, Mr. Anastas,” Evangeline replied. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I said. “But are you sure? You didn’t see anyone? Not even my ex-girlfriend – you know, the blonde one?”

  Evangeline shook her head and laughed. “Mr. Anastas, I may be getting old, but I assure you – I didn’t see anyone at all. It’s been a very quiet morning here, in fact, no phone calls or messages.”

  My heart sank. “Okay,” I said, nodding. “Thank you, Evangeline.”

  Without waiting for her to reply, I locked myself in my office and sat down behind the desk. My head was spinning. What the hell was Pamela doing here? Had she come to threaten my father, tell him about how I’d confronted her outside of the fertility clinic?

  Or was something else going on – something darker?

  My heart was pounding as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed Honey’s apartment. The phone rang and rang, but no one answered. By now, my palms were starting to sweat, and I felt incredibly nervous and agitated. It’s probably nothing, I told myself as I shifted uncomfortably in my office chair. You’re just being paranoid!

  But no matter what kind of soothing thoughts I tried to summon, nothing worked. After a few seconds of staring blankly at my computer, I grabbed my briefcase and ran out of the office.

  “Mr. Anastas? Where are you going?” Evangeline called loudly.

  I ignored her. Instead of waiting for the elevator, I pushed open the door to the stairwell and flung myself down the stairs, jumping and leaping and taking them two at a time. The frigid New York City winter air felt soothing on my cheeks, but I didn’t stop to take it in. Instead, I ran towards the street and flagged down the first cab I saw.

  Launching myself in the backseat, I gave the driver Honey’s Brooklyn address. The cab crawled through traffic – at one point, I was convinced that I would have made faster progress if I’d jumped out and started running. But as soon as we had crossed the bridge, traffic lightened up, and the cab began to move at a reasonable pace.

  By the time I spotted the brownstone building where Honey had lived with her roommate, I had shoved a twenty-dollar bill at the cab driver and leapt out of the backseat. I was breathless by the time I ran upstairs and knocked on the door.

  Fortunately, I heard footsteps right away. But when the door swung open, I was dismayed to see Beth standing there, not Honey.

  “Where’s Honey?” I asked quickly. “Is she home?”

  Beth furrowed her brow and shook her head. “No,” she said. “I thought she was with you?”

  “What?” My jaw dropped. “No! I tried calling her, and no answer!”

  Beth went white in the face like she’d just received horrible news. “She hasn’t been home in days,” she said slowly. “I thought she’d moved in with you and forgotten to tell me.” She swallowed. “Are you saying you haven’t seen her?”

  I didn’t reply. Instead, I pulled out my phone and dialed Don Crosetti.

  “Hello?”

  “Don, it’s Peter,” I said. “My wife is missing, and I need your help.”

  Chapter 17

  Peter

  I didn’t have time to explain what was going on to Beth, and I ran out of the apartment with my phone clutched to my ear. As soon as I told Don that Honey was missing, he promised to set out in search of her and report back as quickly as possible.

  But I wasn’t giving up and letting him take the reins. Instead, I dialed Pamela.

  “Peter,” Pamela gushed. “I knew you’d come around!”

  “Cut the shit,” I hissed into the phone. “Where is she?”

  Pamela laughed. “Oh, Peter, you’re so clueless,” she said. “It’s almost kind of adorable now that I think about it.”

  Her words felt like a punch in the gut. “Where is she,” I asked again, balling my hands into fists and imagining what it would feel like to punch through the brick wall.

  Pamela laughed. “I don’t know why you care for her, Peter. You only married her for the show! Besides, she’s an idiot, Peter,” she said softly. “But she’s not as stupid as you are.”

  I blinked. “What are you talking about?”

  Pamela sighed. “You’ve been blind and clueless for years, Peter,” she said. “If you only knew what I’ve been doing with my time, I bet you wouldn’t have thought of me as a dumb little socialite.”

  My stomach twisted and churned at the sound of Pamela’s ominous words.

  “Pamela,” I said through gritted teeth. “This isn’t funny. Stop fucking around, and tell me what I want to know.”

  Pamela laughed. It was a silly little laugh – the very laugh that she perfected after years of charity benefits and social outings.

  “Peter, I’ve been sleeping with your father for years,” Pamela said smugly. “I was sleeping with him when I met you, remember?”

  “What?” I gasped. “What are you talking about?”

  Pamela laughed again. The musical sounds filled me with a cold rage.

  “When I met you at that party, years ago, remember I told you I was waiting for someone?”

  Pamela’s words sunk in and I felt a cold chill crash over my body. It felt like being submerged in ice like I could hardly breathe, like my heart was going to stop beating forever.

  “Yeah,” I said. “And what, you were waiting for him?”

  “That’s right,” Pamela said smugly. “I was waiting for Alexander Anastas.”

  I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. For a moment, I was afraid I’d be sick. Then the realization hit me: Pamela had finally outsmarted me. She’d been playing me for years, and she’d finally won.

  “And your father and I have every intention of blocking you from inheriting the company,” Pamela continued. She laughed again – the sound was infuriating. “So don’t worry, Peter. You won’t be getting Spyros Magnate, but that’s okay. Both your father and I think you would be a failure as a CEO.”

  “I’m going to destroy you,” I hissed under my breath. “Now tell me where Honey is, and maybe I’ll let you walk away from this!”

  Pamela giggled. “Never,” she said sweetly.

  That’s when the line went dead.

  Arrows of panic struck me in the chest, and I shuddered. I knew I had to think fast – what the hell was I going to do? – and my mind was maddeningly empty. Finally, I dialed the emergency New York City police.

  “Nine-one-one, please state your emergency.”

  “I have reason to believe my wife, Honey Anastas, is missing,” I spat quickly into the phone.

  “Okay, sir, give me as many details as you can, and please speak slowly and clearly.”

  I gave the dispatcher Honey’s description, her address, as well as Pamela’s information and location. By the time we hung up, I was feeling stunned.

  I couldn’t lose Honey. Not now – not like this! The past few weeks had been incredible, and I was starting to realize that I loved her. Actually, deeply, loved her. Not just as a trophy wife – and not just as a tool to get my company out from under my father – but because she was wonderful. She was smart and witty, and kind. She was the hardest-working woman I’d ever met. And she was beautiful. Just thinking of her sparkling green eyes was enough to send me into a frenzy.

  I swear, Honey, I thought as I broke into a run and headed towards the curb, searching for a cab. When I find you, I’ll rip up that contract between us. You’ll be my wife forever, not just until you bear a child, and I’ll make you the happiest man in the world.

  My head was spinning as I flagged down a cab and threw myself in the backseat. I felt scared and foolish – how coul
d I have been stupid enough not to see what Pamela had been doing all along? – But I knew I had to break through and come out on the other side. I knew that Pamela wouldn’t hurt Honey…at least, I hoped she wouldn’t. Hurting Honey wouldn’t benefit her at all. If anything, I bet she just wanted to scare her.

  But just thinking about Honey being scared and alone was enough to make me furious. I’ve been such a fool, I thought as the cab turned onto the bridge and began the slow crawl back to Manhattan. I never realized Pamela was capable of doing something like this.