“Ouch, Keeley, that stings. Remind me why I keep you around?”
“Because, darling, I’m your other half,” she said with a dramatic flourish.
Keeley was right. Cara did consider the woman her other half. Everything that Cara wished she could be, Keeley unapologetically was. Cara had always been strong with a misguided sense of responsibility and eagerness to please. When she was with Keeley, she didn’t feel that need to please and she allowed her rougher edges to show. She felt free in a way that she had never even felt with Delaney. This was why she turned to her now, to take the edge off the fear she felt at sharing her most guarded secret with her former best friend-turned-lover.
She spent a few more minutes talking to Keeley about nonsensical things, and was about to hang up when she felt arms around her waist. Delaney was fifteen minutes early, as usual, and had come in without her hearing him. She jumped and gasped, turning in his arms with the phone to her ear.
“Keeley, I’ve gotta go, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, call tonight. I want to hear how it goes.”
“You bet. Bye.”
She hung up the phone, and realized that Delaney was looking at her with a strange expression.
“I didn’t realize the freshman fifteen would apply to you, Cara. You always seemed to eat like crazy without gaining anything. It’s nice to feel a little meat on your bones.”
She slapped him on the arm. “Delaney! You are not supposed to EVER tell a woman that you noticed she’s gained weight!”
“Why not? I’ve always told you that you were too skinny. It’s nice to know you don’t have some disease that will keep you looking like a skeleton forever. Besides, it looks like you put it all in just the right spots.”
She saw his gaze drop to her chest, and her face flushed.
“Well, thank you so much for noticing,” she grimaced. Turning back to her cooking, she waved him off to sit at the kitchen table. “How was dinner with your parents?”
“It was good. Mom said she invited you to stay, and was a little disappointed that you didn’t.”
“Yeah, I told her I’d rain check, but I sensed that. I had some other plans, and since Mom and Dad were leaving this morning, I figured I should hang out with them.”
“That’s all right, she’ll get over it. So how is school going? You said you were used to early mornings now. Damn college schedule didn’t work with your sleep habits, huh?”
“Hmm, well, I guess you could say that. How’s work been? Your mom said something about you quitting your job?”
“Yeah, I took a position with the head office. I’m an International Director now. But of course since I didn’t leave the company or change my number right away, a lot of the clients were still calling me when they had been assigned a new rep. So eventually I had to change it, or lose my mind.”
“I suppose that makes sense. What exactly do you do now?”
“I handle all the new locations internationally, start to finish. You wouldn’t believe how much handholding I have to do on a daily basis. It’s worse than babysitting. It’s like playing daddy all day, every day.”
“You? Daddy? Really? That’s something I’ll have to see.”
“Haha, you laugh, but I can’t imagine that changing diapers and midnight feedings is any worse than dealing with some of these people.”
She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him.
“That’s an interesting, and completely inexperienced, opinion. Since we’re on the subject of kids, what’s going on in the personal side of things? Any women I need to become overwhelmingly jealous of?”
“Nope. It’s been pretty quiet in the dating pool lately. Any guys trying to catch your eye?”
“Not that I’ve noticed, or had time to notice. I’m right back where I was in high school, living a life of celibacy.”
Delaney stood up from the table and walked over to her, a look of mischief in his eyes. Setting his hands low on her waist, he looked her over again. “With this new body of yours, I think it’s just that you’re not paying attention. I’m sure there’re men falling all over you, and you just keep breaking their hearts when you don’t give them the time of day.”
“No, no, I don’t think that’s the case. I can almost promise you I’m not the type of girl that the guys are drooling over.”
Now he was backing her against the counter, taking the spoon from her hand and setting it down. Leaning down, he nuzzled her neck in the spot he knew was most sensitive. He’d done that to her so many times before, making her giggle like a little school girl. He didn’t seem to be going for that effect this time.
“Delaney, what are you doing?”
“Just testing a theory. I wanted to kiss you yesterday, but since I had no idea if you were seeing anyone, I decided against it. Now I want to know if we still have the same chemistry.”
He spread his legs far enough apart that they were almost nose to nose, aligning his hips with hers. Pressing against her, he moved her hair away from her ear and lightly licked at the lobe. He felt her soften a little against him, and her hands came up to rest on his shoulders. Brushing his cheek against hers, he moved so he was looking in her eyes, mouths inches apart. He didn’t kiss her immediately, but waited for her consent. When he saw what he was looking for, he rested his lips against hers.
He moved into the kiss slowly, but when she parted her lips he surprised her by instantly changing the pace. It was almost as if he was desperate for her. His tongue was tangling with hers, and he was running his fingers through her hair, trying for a tighter hold. He pulled her head back and broke the kiss, but only to follow the curve of her neck to her collar bone with his mouth.
“Whoa—down, boy.”
He hushed her, and lifted her onto the counter, wrapping her legs around him. When he slid his hands under her shirt, raising the hem, she snapped to attention and stopped him.
“Delaney, no, really—we need to stop. This can’t happen. We have a lot to talk about.”
He pulled back and looked at her quizzically, his hands resting on her thighs. “What else is there to talk about?”
“Trust me, there’s plenty. Like, what happens tomorrow morning? I’m not going through what I went through last time. And too much time has passed for us to just pick up where we left off. I need more, and I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”
“Maybe I am. Never know unless you try.”
“You can’t just say that. Not now, not without knowing exactly what more is.”
“I know what more is. We can do more. Long distance, sure, but we can make it work. Do you know what leaving your dorm room that weekend did to me? And how many times I fought the urge to call, or just show up? I thought you would be seeing someone else by now, but I told myself if I had the opportunity again, I wouldn’t let it pass. I’m taking a stand here. Isn’t that what you always wanted me to do?”
Cara lowered her head and sighed. He was saying everything she wanted to hear, but without knowing everything there was to know. She would have to tell him, and no doubt he would take back everything he had just said. She was sure that he would hate her for a very long time.
“Yes, it’s pretty much everything I wanted. What I still want from you. But a lot has changed, and we need to talk about that. Let me finish dinner, and we’ll talk about it, all right?”
“I don’t think there’s anything that can change the way I feel. I’ve pretty much been madly in love with you since the day we met.”
Cara laughed as the day they had met flashed in her memory.
“Mrs. Anders, I have a new student here for you.”
Standing next to the peer aide assigned to her, Cara was looking around the room, hoping that she would recognize someone. Of course she wouldn’t, though. She didn’t know anyone from this town, and was scared beyond words at the idea of having to talk to these people. She hated meeting new people.
Then her gaze fell on the only open desk in the classroom, and the boy si
tting directly in front of it. He had to be at least six foot three and was staring right at her. He had his long legs outstretched so they blocked the student in front of him from leaving before he stood up. Wearing dark pants and a dark shirt, with short dirty blond hair, he looked almost dangerous. Cara had known guys that looked like him before, and they were never pleasant to deal with.
“Thank you. Class, this is Cara Wyatt. Cara, you can take the seat behind Delaney.”
As she took her seat, the bad boy in front of her turned and flashed a half grin that completely contrasted with the image of him she had just drawn in her head.
“Hey, I’m Delaney, in case you needed a reminder. Wanna have lunch with us today?”
She wasn’t sure what to think, but was more than happy to latch on to the first person willing to start up conversation for a bit.
“Sure. When is lunch? I’ve never had a block schedule before. It’s making me feel more than a little blonde.”
“Hmm, how does that work? I always thought redheads were immune to those moments? Lunch is halfway through the next class. What do you have next?”
Cara looked at her schedule and said, “Algebra in 121.”
“Cool, I can show you where that is. I’m in 132 next, just around the corner from you.”
Delaney turned around then at hearing the teacher clear her throat for the class’s attention. Cara smiled through the rest of Biology, feeling oddly comfortable for her first day in a new school.
Returning to the present, Cara knew that the feelings he’d had for her then were far less complicated than what he was suggesting now.
“Reserve your judgment on that. Now back away so I can finish up here.”
He did as he was told and went back to sit at the table. He knew better than to ask if she needed help with anything. Cooking had always been a stress reliever to her, and she rarely let anyone assist. So he sat back and watched while they chatted about little things that had taken place over the last two years they had been apart.
Chapter 6
Cara had just set their dinner plates on the table when a noise started from upstairs. Delaney faintly recognized a baby crying. Cara winced a little.
“You’re babysitting, really?” He laughed at her, shaking his head in exasperation. “You haven’t even been home for a week and someone has you watching their kid already?”
“No, that’s not exactly the case. I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, he was only staring at her, a cartoonish look of puzzlement on his face.
“What’s not the case, Cara? What are you talking about?”
Cara held a cherub-faced little girl on her hip, full lips and curling red hair a clear indication that she was in some way related to her.
“Delaney, this is my daughter—our daughter—Sutton.”
His eyes widened, and he fought to keep his temper in check.
“This is a joke, right?” His voice was low and gravelly, a sign that he was well and truly pissed.
“Del, I’m sorry,” Cara said, tears springing to her eyes. “I told you things had changed, and that there was a lot to talk about.”
“Why the hell are you only telling me this now?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“You told me you got your period, Cara. How could you lie to me about that? Or is there another lie somewhere?”
She knew what he was asking, and she was more than a little angry at the insinuation that she was lying about Sutton being his daughter. All he had to do was take a good look into the baby’s eyes to see there was no denying her paternity.
“I thought I had. The morning after you left I started bleeding. I missed my period the next month, though, and was really sick. I went to the doctor, and when they asked if there was a chance I was pregnant, I mentioned the positive test. I told them I’d gotten my period, but they decided to do another anyway. It was positive. You’re the only person I’ve ever slept with.”
Delaney pinched the bridge of his nose and began pacing the kitchen. Cara set the toddler down and went to the small room off the kitchen for a high chair. Sutton toddled over to Delaney, showing that she had her father’s outgoing personality. She wrapped her arms around his leg and cried, “Up, up!”
“Del, don’t feel like you have to force yourself. I know that you’ve never been comfortable with kids, especially those of the tiny variety.”
“She’s my child, I’ll have to get used to this.”
“No, you really don’t—not if you don’t want to. I’m not asking for anything, you’re not obligated in any way. I know what I said yesterday, but I also know what I told you before. I’m not going to hold you to anything. It wouldn’t be fair now.”
She felt his stare harden, and heard the low growl in his throat. He calmed his eyes as he bent down to pick up the child. He looked at her while she ran her hands over his face, almost like she was trying to memorize the lines of his features.
“Is that why you never told me, Cara? You thought I wouldn’t want anything to do with her?”
“It’s no secret you didn’t want kids, Del.”
“That’s bullshit, Cara, and you know it. I’m not that irresponsible that I would have turned my own kid away. This was about your pride, damn it, and your stubborn need to take care of everything.”
The tears that had been filling her eyes spilled over at his harsh, and accurate, words. It had been about her pride. She had felt rejected, and had translated that rejection onto their daughter, assuming he wouldn’t want Sutton the same way he had not wanted her.
Seeing the acceptance of his words, he turned and walked out of the room with his daughter. Cara stayed behind and prepared a plate for her daughter, giving the two of them time to bond.
***
After she had finished, she went to the living room to find them. She paused when she saw that he was slowly rocking in the chair, continuing to stare at their daughter. She felt a surge of love for the two of them. She knew that she had made a huge mistake in keeping the secret, but that was something she couldn’t change. She could change the way her daughter was raised, however, and that change would include a father that clearly wanted to be a part of her life.
She took a step into the room and he looked up at her. His eyes were glossy with angry tears. The look stopped Cara in her tracks and broke her heart all over again.
“I’ve got her plate ready. She gets crabby if she doesn’t eat after her nap, and since it was later today than usual, she’ll really be a bear.”
Delaney didn’t say a word. He just got up and walked by her, putting Sutton in the high chair Cara had just prepared.
“Want to tell me what the hell you were thinking keeping this from me?” His voice was clipped when he said it. He sat down at the table and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I told you, Delaney, it was about timing. I was so shocked when I found out I was pregnant that I couldn’t imagine how you were going to respond. We’d had the fight, and I’d told you I’d gotten my period. I really didn’t think it was a possibility. What on earth could I have said?”
“I suppose you could have just said ‘I’m pregnant, Delaney.’ That’d have been a fine place to start. Instead, you pulled your damn stubborn card and did it all by yourself. You didn’t even bother to tell me when she was born!”
“Oh, that would have been great, I’m sure. ‘Hey, by the way, you didn’t know I was really pregnant, but you’re about to be a daddy. I’ll let you know when the baby’s here.’ What a phone call, huh?”
“Anything would have been better than finding out after the fact. But hey, at least you gave me an opportunity now, right? You could have just as easily waited until she was a few years older, maybe when she was old enough to start asking about her daddy.”
“I wouldn’t have done that to you. I wanted to tell you so many times while I was still pregnant, but I couldn’t find the courage to do it. Then there were complications, and I just put aside any
thing that caused stress, and focused on getting to the end of the pregnancy.”
“What complications? Is there something wrong with her?” Shock and panic filled his face, and he turned to look at the child happily eating her meal, not a care in the world.
“No, there is nothing wrong with her. She was, and is, perfectly healthy. I had placenta previa, and after a few trips to the hospital, I was put on partial rest for the remainder of the pregnancy, no travel whatsoever.”
Delaney had returned his attention to her, and was just staring at her. For the first time in their relationship, she had no idea what he was thinking. He shook his head and looked from her to Sutton, and back again.
“Go back to the bleeding. How could that happen and you were still pregnant?”
“After the results came back positive, we did some calculations and an ultrasound. Because I’d had a positive test and more cramping than usual, I saw the doctor the Monday after you left. The doctor believed that I might have experienced what they call vanishing twin syndrome, but he couldn’t be sure. Either way, I had to be cautious through the first trimester.”
Delaney looked shocked, clearly trying to comprehend everything Cara had just told him. Instead of dwell and ask more questions, he decided to leave it alone. He would have to do more research on his own.
“Why did you name her Sutton?”
“It was a name I’d heard on television when I was laid up for a few days. I did some research, and learned that people with this name share more, in an attempt to serve humanity. I thought about how I want to raise her, and what I want her to be like as an adult. I decided to start with her name.”
“That sounds like a good reason. I really do like Sutton. What’s her middle name?”
“Her full name is Sutton Rebekah Wyatt, and she weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces. She was born May 7th. I was being honest when I said I don’t expect anything from you, Delaney. I do want you to be a part of her life, but I want you to do it on your terms, not because of some obligation. What you do is completely up to you, and I’ll respect anything you choose.”
Braided Strings Page 3
