An Unexpected Partnership (HQR Special Edition)

by Teresa Southwick

  The pain of being shut out by the woman who’d deceived him never went away, and remembering just brought it all up after he’d struggled so long and hard to push it down. But he couldn’t ignore the doctor’s appointment for the baby that might be his.

  “You weren’t going to tell me about seeing the doctor today?”

  “No big deal. This isn’t my first visit. I didn’t think you’d be interested in being there or that you cared at all about it.”

  “I do.”

  The words came out before he could adequately weigh how they would sound or what the consequences would be. The reasons he cared were complicated but that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.

  “You’re acting as if I’m pulling a fast one.” She sounded irritated and he wondered if there was something she didn’t want him to find out about.

  “Are you?”

  “Of course not. Would you like to come along?”

  “Damn right I’m coming with you.”

  Chapter Five

  Who knew Leo Wallace could cook? After an unexpectedly good breakfast, Tess went upstairs to get ready for her prenatal doctor visit. She took extra care with her makeup and hair, then added a navy blazer to her white T-shirt and jeans. If she was being honest, she was bothering with her appearance because Leo was going with her. He might think she was a lying weasel dog, but by God, she was going to be a well-groomed, attractive one.

  To finish off the outfit, she stepped into three-inch wedges because Leo was really tall, and beside him she didn’t want to look like a refugee from the land of the seven dwarfs. Now that she thought about it, maybe he wouldn’t go in the exam room with her to meet the doctor.

  That seemed unlikely, though, given his level of suspicion. She suspected this appointment, for him, was about gathering information to support his doubts about fathering her baby. How were they going to handle that?

  “We have some talking to do, Leo,” she said to her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

  In her high shoes, she carefully walked downstairs and found him in the kitchen, leaning back against the counter, where a cup of coffee was close by. He was looking at his cell phone and glanced up when she came in the room. Actually he did a double take and that was like a blast of sugar to her carb-deprived ego. Worth it, she thought about her coiffing efforts.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

  “Why? Do I not look put together?”

  “No. You look—” He stopped and there was an approving gleam in his eyes. “Nice. Really nice.”

  “I guess that’s marginally better than ‘I thought you were going to do your makeup and hair.’”

  “You always look nice,” he said.

  Typical guy. And she was stalling. “Look, Leo, we have to talk.”

  “About what?” A wary look replaced his approval.

  “I don’t know how to explain you.” The words came tumbling out and he looked confused. Tess didn’t blame him. “The thing is, I’ve been going to Dr. Thompson forever. I don’t know what to say about you. Us. If you go into the exam room with me.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  She’d expected a little squirming about breaching this totally female ritual. Maybe relief that she was giving him an out. Instead he looked ready to defend his stance. “How do I put it? ‘I know you’re the father of my baby, but you have doubts about whether or not that’s true.’ That makes me look bad.”

  “Doesn’t make me look too good either.”

  “So how do we do this? Should we tell her you’re not sure about being the father?”

  “You told me I am.”

  “Because you are. But do we share all that? Are we going to have this discussion in front of the doctor?”

  “Do you want to talk about it with her?”

  Her response was immediate, decisive and forceful. “Good God, no.”

  “Then you decide how we play this. The game plan is up to you.”

  “A sports metaphor?”

  “It makes me happy.” He shrugged. “What would make you happy?”

  If it was true: that they were ecstatic about the arrival of their first child. She sighed. “Would you mind terribly pretending to be what I already know you are? The father of this baby?”

  “I think I can manage that,” he said.

  “Okay.” She nodded resolutely but was secretly relieved that he was going along with her suggestion. “Then we’re going to be excited, expectant parents.”

  “Are you excited?” he asked.

  “About pretending in front of my doctor?” The thought made her more nauseated than the smell of coffee.

  “No. I meant about having a baby. Being a mom. You’ve never said how you feel about it.”

  “I wish I could say yes without reservations, but I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “For one thing, I don’t know if I’ll be a very good mom. Mine wasn’t, so zero role model there.”

  “What happened?”

  Apparently her grandfather hadn’t said anything to him. “When I was six, my mother left me with Granddad and never came back. Last I heard she’s in Florida with some guy.”

  “What about your father?”

  “He left her—pregnant and alone.” She met his gaze. “If children learn what they live, that doesn’t bode well for my being a good mother.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one giving birth.”

  “You’re not alone.” That might be a general reference to him sticking around, at least for the DNA portion of the program. “Besides, you’re the most responsible person I know. And Patrick Morrow raised you to be that way.”

  “It seems prudent to point out that after my grandmother died, he raised my mother, too, and that didn’t turn out so well. What if I take the easy way out like she did?”

  “That’s not who you are. The Pub is a perfect example. With profits down, it would have been easy to cut your losses and walk. But you’re fighting for it.”

  “It’s Granddad’s legacy. And I love that place.”

  “You love your baby, too.”

  “I do.” And that was the simple truth. “However as far as being excited, that’s hard. The timing isn’t good, what with trying to increase The Pub’s customer base. And—” she watched him watching her “—the circumstances aren’t exactly desirable, if you know what I mean.”

  Evidence of that was him saying “your baby,” not “our baby.” They had to get their act together before taking it on the road. “It’s your baby, too. Our baby. In front of the doctor anyway.”

  “Right.” He looked at the time on his phone. “We should probably get going. I’ll drive.”

  “I can.”

  “We’re taking my car. I don’t fit in that glorified skateboard you call a car.”

  She looked up at him, then let her gaze linger on his wide chest and impossibly wide shoulders. The memory of being held in his strong arms was never far from her thoughts. She swallowed once and said, “I think you might be able to squeeze in but it would take the jaws of life to get you out. So you win.”

  “Funny.” The tone was sarcastic but he grinned.

  Wow, Leo was quite the handsome charmer when he didn’t scowl. Hopefully the doctor would see that man and not the one who kept reminding her he didn’t trust her.

  They made a quick stop at The Pub, and she was pretty vocal about the fact that tearing down walls was like ripping her heart out. So Leo hurried her back to the car and headed to the doctor’s office.

  The medical building was located on the west side of Huntington Hills, and Leo parked in the lot. They got out and walked to the door leading to the lobby. He opened it for her and they took the elevator to the second floor. Once inside the Women
’s Wellness Center, he slid his arm around her waist. It was like being on a movie set when someone yelled, “Action.” He was ready to play his part, so let the pretending begin. But darn she liked him touching her.

  After signing in they sat together on a love seat in the waiting room. Across from them was a very pregnant woman, and a man was rubbing her big belly and talking to it. She glanced up and saw Leo watching them, too. He didn’t seem horrified. Another couple had a newborn in an infant carrier and the woman’s not-yet-flat tummy was proof she’d recently given birth. Finally she noticed a toddler running around with her mom and dad in hot pursuit. They looked tired, probably from chasing their daughter around. People in various stages of having children. Being a family.

  The door beside them opened and a woman in scrubs said, “Tess Morrow.”

  They stood and followed her, stopping at the scale in the hall. A note was made in her chart, and then they were moving again and she stopped at the bathroom, where she was instructed to leave her sample. After that Tess found the room and sat on the exam table, where her blood pressure was taken. The nurse informed them that she would be seen soon.

  A few minutes later Dr. Thompson walked in and smiled. “Hi, Tess. How are you?”

  “Good.” She glanced at Leo who’d stood and was now beside the exam table, rubbing her back. “This is Leo Wallace, the baby’s father.”

  “Nice to meet you. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled at Tess. “I couldn’t be here before, but I’m glad I could make this appointment.”

  “Leo and I met at The Pub,” Tess said quickly. “My grandfather introduced us.”

  “And now you’re having a baby together. It must be hard for you that Patrick isn’t here. He’d be very happy for you.”

  Probably not, Tess thought, risking a glance at the man beside her. “Yeah.”

  “We couldn’t be happier,” he said. “It was a surprise, but definitely exciting. Can’t wait to be parents.”

  Tess wondered if she was the only one who thought he was spreading it on a little thick.

  “I told Tess but it goes for you, too,” Dr. Thompson said to him. “Feel free to take any of the pamphlets on the wall there. They’re full of facts and suggestions for pregnancy, links on the internet and books that I’ve vetted for my patients. With a lot of misinformation out there, these will save you time, effort and needless anxiety. Happy mother, happy, healthy baby.”

  “That’s the plan.” He settled his muscular arm across Tess’s shoulders and gave her a hug.

  “And I’m here. Anything I can do to help, just let me know. Okay, lay back on the table.” The doctor put a small ultrasound device on Tess’s belly and explained that it would identify the baby’s heartbeat. She smiled broadly. “Sounds really good and strong.”

  Then she pulled a tape measure taut over Tess’s abdomen to determine the baby’s approximate size. “Definitely growing. Everything is normal.”

  “That’s great.” Leo was holding her hand and squeezed it before helping her to a sitting position.

  The doctor frowned a little as she looked at the chart. “You’ve lost some weight. Are you eating right?”

  “Morning sickness has been a challenge,” she said. “Leo gave me crackers and that helped. But it’s getting much better now.”

  “And I convinced her to move in with me,” he added. “I’m making sure she eats.”

  “Good.” The doctor beamed at them as if they were parental stars. “You make a beautiful couple and this is going to be one good-looking baby. I’ve known Tess since she was a teenager. It does my heart good to see her so happy now.”

  That was a leap, Tess thought, but no way she was calling the doctor on it. After all, that meant she was buying the excited, expectant parent act. Leo had pulled it off brilliantly, and that was a surprise, considering how he really felt.

  Of course the doctor asked if they had any questions and Leo did. About her due date and the time frame for when she’d conceived. He did it diplomatically and unless one knew why he was asking, there was no way to tell he was anything but curious. And, gosh golly, the date of her grandfather’s memorial was smack-dab center of the primary window. Tess shot him an “I told you so” look and he gave a small shrug.

  They left the office and Tess was relieved that things had gone without a hitch. Leo was a really good actor and no one could tell they weren’t a couple. When her next appointment rolled around, she hoped to be back in her apartment and coming here alone. And that’s when she felt a hitch in her heart. A reminder that it wasn’t a good idea to get sucked into the fantasy of them being a real, traditional family. It would hurt like crazy when she was by herself.

  * * *

  After dinner with Tess, Leo left the house and drove to the ice rink. The business was open 24/7 and he made it a point to stop by at different times to check things out. It had stopped hemorrhaging money after he had made some common-sense changes and hired a new manager who knew hockey.

  Buying the rink didn’t make a whole lot of investment sense, and it wasn’t about ego or vanity from his player years. He loved the ice. It was a purely emotional decision, so he understood how Tess felt about The Pub.

  Tess was something. Honest and straightforward. She could have said she was beyond excited about having a baby when he’d asked, but she had told him her misgivings. As she’d said, he wasn’t the one giving birth, hence his body wasn’t changing. But her facts were indisputable. They weren’t married.

  And being at the doctor’s with her today brought back a lot of memories. Ones that had been good but now brought a wave of pain and emptiness that nearly sent him driving off the road. It seemed like yesterday that he and his wife were over the moon about her being pregnant. He was still playing hockey and the team had a home game, giving him a chance to be at the first appointment.

  Once he’d found out he was going to be a father, he’d vowed to be better than his own. He and Nancy were going to be the best parents in the history of parenting. But it hadn’t turned out that way, and he carried the torture of that inside him every single day.

  He didn’t believe in silver linings, but he drew on that experience earlier. At Dr. Thompson’s office he had tapped into those feelings to play the role of a man who was completely thrilled about becoming a father. The ob-gyn put the time of conception at right about when he’d been with Tess. Along with the blood test and her unshakable assertion that he was the baby’s father, he was starting to believe it was true. So, what now?

  He had to put off thinking about that because the ice rink was coming up on his right. He pulled into the lot and noted that there were a lot of cars, which meant business was good.

  After finding a space, he parked and then went inside. Immediately the smell of cold hit him, and for a few moments there was a sensation of peace, home. When he was a kid and his parents were screaming hateful things at each other, the only sanctuary he could count on was the ice.

  The area around the rink had rubber padding to protect skate blades when outside the rink itself. This time of night was a free skate, meaning no lessons or practices. Anyone could come in and rent equipment to skate around the oval. It was almost time for the session to end.

  He turned away and headed to the office on the second floor. There was a big glass window that looked out over the facility, and a desk facing it. Metal filing cabinets lined the wall, along with a trophy case holding pictures and awards from winning teams sponsored by the facility. It had been a while, but he wanted to make Huntington Hills Skating Rink competitive again.

  He walked inside. “Hey, Mark.”

  The manager turned away from the window and smiled. Mark Reeves was in his midthirties, tall and muscular, with black hair and brown eyes. They’d been competitors in professional hockey, but off the ice were good friends. The guy didn’t need the money from this job any
more than Leo did, and had invested along with him. But he wanted to be involved at a grassroots level.

  He stood and held out his hand. “Leo. How are you?”

  “Good,” he lied, taking the other man’s hand in his own and shaking it. “How’s our business?”

  “Profits are up. Not as much as I’d like, but going in the right direction.”

  “That’s what I want to hear.” He glanced out the window and saw that the number of people was starting to thin out. “I like what I see. You’ve added a team to the under-sixteen age group?”

  “Yeah. Community outreach is starting to pay off. Adding is good. We can’t afford to lose a team.”

  “Yeah.” Leo knew all about that. Ice time for practice had a rental fee. There was revenue from skating sessions like the one just winding down now. But all services—skating lessons, blade sharpening, the shop they’d opened for selling equipment and apparel—all of it added up. And every hour of the day, ice time had to be utilized to bring in profit.

  He looked at his friend. “Is everything in place for the Sticks for Kids roller hockey event?”

  Mark nodded. “I have the park permits and supplies. We’ll be working on stick handling and drills to promote teamwork. Kids bring their own rollerblades.”

  “Good.”

  “I’ve lined up some players from the men’s ice hockey team I coach to help with younger kids. Education is the cornerstone of everything. It creates buzz for the sport and hopefully interest in playing ice hockey.”

  “Sounds like you have everything under control.”

  He turned and looked out over the ice again. It was Thursday night and there were teenagers hotdogging in and out of families with younger kids. One little guy caught his eye, in between his parents and holding their hands as he walk-skated unsteadily.

  If things hadn’t gone to hell with his own family, he’d be doing that with Chad. Wondering how the boy was doing drove him nuts. Just then the boy in the rink fell and started to cry. His dad picked him up and brushed the ice off his pants, then comforted him. Exactly what a dad should do. The trio headed for the break in the wall around the rink and stepped off.