The Deadline (The Friessens: A New Beginning)

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  He didn’t stay inside her but pulled out, leaving her feeling cold and empty. She loved it when he lay with her after, staying inside her until she felt all her senses return. Instead, he slid out of bed and walked naked, comfortable with his amazing body, comfortable with who he was. She wondered if he ever questioned for a second who he was and what he needed to do, and she openly studied his body, all lean and solid, with dark hair lightly covering the most amazing chest and six-pack abs. Even with the cut of his muscles across his shoulders and back, the man had it all going on.

  Laura started to get up, but Andy stopped her, pulling on a pair of jeans. “I’ll get Chelsea before she wakes up Jeremy,” he said. He had just zipped up when Jeremy let out a howl as if he had just realized Chelsea was about to eat without him, and Andy added, “Well, why don’t I get both of them?”

  Laura smiled as she heard Andy through the baby monitor, listening to how he talked to his babies. He loved them so much, and she beamed, thinking of what an overprotective father he’d be. He changed the babies’ diapers and brought them in for Laura to nurse in bed as she relaxed, still feeling the effects of Andy loving her. It had been so long, and she had now realized just how much she needed Andy’s closeness, just as much as he needed her.

  They still had boxes piled everywhere. It had been only two days since they arrived, and they still had a lot to get through, but the cleaners had transformed the house into something closer to the pictures they’d originally seen. The place had five bedrooms and three bathrooms, with a formal dining room, a bright, spacious kitchen with two built-in ovens and a gas range, and there were three fireplaces throughout the house, with a huge walk-in closet in their master bedroom. However, Laura thought the best feature was the sunken tub in her bathroom, the huge plate-glass window revealing a view of the distant mountains.

  “Laura, you should slip into the bath and relax a bit after you finish nursing the kids,” Andy said. He had that very male look of a man who took pride in his woman, and just watching her care for his babies seemed to inflate his ego.

  “Did you check on Gabriel, see how he’s doing?” Laura asked as he made no move to leave.

  “He’s still warm, but he’s sleeping. I’m going to make some calls, see about getting him a doctor’s appointment.” Andy stepped inside the bedroom and added, “I’ll just grab a quick shower first.”

  An hour later, she lounged in the bathtub and listened to Andy in the other room, the babies cooing. When Jeremy started to fuss again, she felt the familiar pull in her breasts. How could he be hungry again? He ate way more than his sister and was packing on the pounds faster than she was.

  So much for a break. The water hadn’t even had time to cool, but she drained the tub and quickly dried off, pulling on her robe and striding out to the living room, where boxes were still piled. Andy was wearing a long-sleeved dark shirt tucked into newer blue jeans, and he rummaged through one of the open boxes on the table, pulling out papers while holding Jeremy, who had crammed his fist in his mouth and was sucking away. Andy turned her way and did a double take, his eyes flaring as he took in the sight of her. His expression was approving and intimate—at least she thought so, anyway—and he winked.

  “You look better,” he said.

  “I feel better. Thanks for letting me chill out in the bath for a bit. I feel…refreshed.” She walked up to him and slid her hand over his arm, feeling the cut of his biceps. She loved how he kept himself in shape, really good shape. He was tall, handsome, strong: a man who could take on the world for her and protect her and the children, but only if she trusted him. She’d learned long ago that Andy could be difficult and stubborn, but he’d always do right by her, by Gabriel and their babies. Trust was something he expected and didn’t take lightly, though nor did he give it easily. Laura had looked for every reason not to trust him, because everyone had let her down in the past. She wondered, would she ever be able to let that go?

  “I’ll take him,” she said. “Not much you can help him with right now.”

  Andy leaned down and kissed her. “He’s eating an awful lot again.”

  “Well, I’m starting to think he wants to use me as a soother. Gabriel still sleeping?” Laura looked around the living room and glimpsed Chelsea, who was in one of the baby swings, fast asleep. Gabriel should have been running around, but he’d been in bed ever since they moved in. Laura couldn’t believe the flu had taken her son down this quickly. She was starting to worry, as his fever was still high and he’d barely eaten anything.

  “Yeah, he is,” Andy said, sounding worried. “I called Kim and asked for the names of local doctors. She gave me a few, but there’s only one pediatrician in Columbia Falls. The office should be open now.” He glanced at his watch.

  “What time is it?” she asked, settling into the corner rocker as the baby latched on to her breast.

  “After nine,” Andy said.

  “Andy, Gabriel’s never been sick like this before. I’m starting to worry. He won’t eat, and he drank a little apple juice with water, but he’s so little, and his face seems thinner. This just isn’t like him.”

  “I know, Laura, but kids do get sick. Let me call, and we’ll take him in. We’ll have the doctor check these two out, as well, since we’re there.”

  Andy dialed the phone they had hooked up the day before and then stepped into the kitchen, where she could hear him talking. He reappeared a few minutes later and said, “Okay, they’re going to fit us in at one. It’ll take us a good forty-five minutes to get to town, so we should leave at noon. Then I have to meet a man about some cattle.” He started rummaging through the box, shoving his hand in and lifting papers out.

  Laura was still stuck on cows. What the heck was he talking about? “Andy, why are you talking to someone about cattle?”

  He gave her a distracted glance. “Oh, I’m going to raise some. I’m thinking forty head to start.”

  She stared at his back. He was talking as if this was something they’d agreed on. The fact was that Laura didn’t know the first thing about cows, except that they smelled and made a lot of noise. “Why cows, Andy?”

  “What?” he said, as if he didn’t understand.

  Andy just did things, and as far as his work went, well, he was wealthy—or rather, his family was. Laura had never really understood what it was he did, exactly, except make deals, investing and managing his wealth. There had always been a Great Wall between her and his work. She had never asked before, but now she felt she had to.

  “Andy, I’ve always stayed out of your work, but I’ve got to ask: What are you doing, and why are you going into the cattle business? I think I should really know, as your wife, if there’s going to be a herd of cows running around the property. You’ve always made these decisions for us…” She stopped when he set down the papers and turned around to face her. For a moment, she wondered if he was about to dismiss her.

  “You don’t need to worry about money, Laura,” he said. “I’ll always have enough to provide for you and the kids. You won’t want for anything.”

  “I know that, Andy, and that’s not what I’m saying. You’ve always looked after us. I wish you would share a little more with me. You don’t share everything, Andy. You never have. With your work, you keep me out of it, and I understand you just want to protect us, but by not talking to me about what you’re doing, Andy, I feel as if there’s a part of your life you’re still keeping separate from me, something I’m not a part of.”

  There, she had said it, and she took a breath, feeling a type of confidence she had never felt before. She wondered what Andy was going to say. What would he do? He was an impossible man to read, and when he gave her all of his attention, she felt special and loved, but at times like this, he had an unpredictable, predatory look that would have once made her back away, before she knew him. He dropped a folder and set his hand on his hip. Of course, her eyes went right there. The man was drop-dead gorgeous, sexy, and she remembered what it was like to ha
ve those hips settled against her.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said.

  Laura couldn’t have been more shocked. Her jaw slackened as her brain scrambled to figure out what to say. She had expected him to do what he always had, telling her not to worry, that he’d take care of everything and she didn’t need to know. What the hell?

  “Oh, thank you,” she said.

  A hint of amusement brightened his eyes, and she knew he was taking some enjoyment from seeing her rattled and knowing he was responsible for it. He sifted through the rest of the box, one she recognized as being from his office. “Did you come across a big manila envelope with a small tape recorder in it? I swear it was in this box,” he said, distracted again.

  “No, I didn’t. Is it important?” she asked. As far as bills, paper, and all that, Andy had always looked after everything.

  He seemed to stiffen and kept sifting through the box. When he answered her this time, he didn’t look at her. “Nothing for you to worry about,” he said. “It’s just something I need to keep track of.”

  Laura nodded, wondering at the steel wall that seemed to have come down around him. What was it about that envelope that was so important?

  Chapter 7

  Andy was sitting in one of the two chairs across the doctor’s desk, Gabriel tucked against him on his lap. The little boy, who worshipped Andy, snuggled against him as if he knew he alone would protect him and would never allow any harm to come his way—and he wouldn’t, not ever. He loved Gabriel like he loved his own children.

  Andy was still bothered about that tape and the envelope. He was positive he had put it in the box with all his bank papers and investments, as he liked to keep everything together. He’d look again when he got home. That envelope was better than a smoking gun, and it was his only protection from what his mother had done, trying to take the babies away and get rid of Laura. He still couldn’t believe the threats his mother had made to set up Laura on some trumped-up crime, getting her locked away just to be rid of her. His mother was powerful, coming from the Eastern bluebloods and a long line of politicians, and she was a snake. Andy planned to keep his family as far from her reach as possible. His father, well, who the hell knew where Todd was, off with one of his mistresses? Andy hadn’t spoken to him since marrying Laura instead of a senator’s daughter, as had been planned for him.

  Andy glanced over at Laura. Her short hair had a little natural curl, and she’d stuck a barrette in each side to hold it back, making her appear a very young twenty-one-year-old, even though she was far older in terms of what she had suffered and endured. She was so damn honest and kind and good and vulnerable, and whether she knew it or not, she did need protecting. The babies were both asleep in their carriers on the floor beside her, the bulky diaper bag at her feet. She smiled at him nervously, fiddling with her fingers and her ring.

  She was on edge and had been throughout the exam. All the questions had fallen on her, but that was only after the doctor had asked how old she was. After that, the questions seemed beyond routine: Had she kept his vaccinations up to date? Did she feed him a balanced diet? How long had she ignored his fever, and what had taken them so long to seek medical attention? Andy had been stumped for a second until he realized the doctor’s stern line of questioning was more about her age—or so he thought, anyway. When Andy asked the doctor if that was the same line of questioning he used on every parent who walked through his door, the doctor had simply smiled and said it was routine.

  To Andy, that response felt evasive, but once Andy made it clear Laura was his wife, the doctor had seemed to read the writing on the wall, and the change in his tone from questioning to respectful was alarming. Then again, this wasn’t North Lakewood, and people here didn’t know the Friessen name. Andy was determined to earn a reputation in this community so that when people like this doctor spoke to Laura, his wife, they would do so with respect.

  “Don’t be so nervous,” Andy finally said when Laura started biting the corners of her nails. He always knew when she was pulling away. Something was eating at her, and she just didn’t have the experience to know how to hide it from him. He supposed that was something that would come with age, but he hoped Laura would never learn to hide her feelings. Andy just didn’t want that in a woman, as he’d grown up with dishonest, polished, skilled women all around him and had realized he didn’t like that one bit. It was refreshing to have a wife as naïve as Laura was.

  “Did you hear the way he talked to me?” she said. “It’s been a while since someone has talked down to me like that. I wonder whether he even realized you were there? It pissed me off, Andy, when you had to tell him I was your wife. What was that look you two exchanged?”

  Yeah, she was more than rattled, she was upset. He didn’t like seeing her this way, and he didn’t like the expression the doctor had worn, as if Andy had robbed the cradle. “Just setting the record straight,” Andy said. “He won’t talk to you that way again. It was inappropriate—he knows it, and I know it. He may not understand what it means to deal with a Friessen.”

  The door opened, and the doctor stepped in, wearing a dark sweater. He’d shed his white doctor’s coat but still had a stethoscope draped around his neck. This time, when he took in Laura and then Andy, his expression changed to something that had Andy holding Gabriel a little tighter.

  He sat at his desk, opened the file he was carrying, and scribbled a few notes before setting down his pen and looking at them both. “The twins look great, and if you could sign the transfer papers from your pediatrician in North Lakewood, I’ll get the records up here,” he began. “Jeremy appears bigger than his sister, which happens sometimes with twins. Both are right on track as far as growth and weight development, which is good. Now, I just wanted to ask, because I have both Chelsea and Jeremy as O negative blood types. Laura, you said you’re O, and you, too, Andy, but Gabriel is A negative, so…” He stopped talking, and Andy didn’t miss what he was getting at. Laura obviously didn’t either, as she’d already lowered her head as if she had something to be ashamed of. Andy wasn’t just angry but pissed. It was as if this guy knew exactly which buttons to push with him.

  “I’m not really sure what you’re getting at, here, and I really don’t appreciate what you’re insinuating or the way you keep talking to my wife,” Andy snapped.

  “What I’m getting at is that you couldn’t have fathered Gabriel, as the father would need to be blood type A or B, and you are neither, as you said. How old are you, Laura?”

  This was the first time Andy could remember feeling as if someone was judging him and Laura, questioning their business. What was this guy trying to do, asking Laura’s age? Yeah, if he was Gabriel’s father, it would have been statutory rape. He knew it, and obviously everyone here did, too, making it the elephant in the room.

  “I’m Gabriel’s father in every way that counts, so what is this really about?” Andy said. He glanced over at Laura’s flushed face. He wasn’t about to allow this prick into his private business, and he was walking a fine line as it was.

  The doctor gestured as if everything was cool, but he didn’t even look Laura’s way. “Well, for one, I need to have all the information. A complete history is essential for a proper diagnosis. How old were you when you had him?”

  “I had just turned sixteen,” Laura whispered, and Andy could hear her pride take a hit.

  “What are you doing? What the hell does her being sixteen have to do with any of this?” Andy glanced down at Gabriel, who was cuddled against him. His eyes fluttered open and then closed again, and Andy hoped he wasn’t really listening to what was being said.

  “I just want to get a picture of the situation,” the doctor said.

  “Picture of the situation? Sounds more like you’re trying to stir up trouble.”

  The doctor set his pen down, and his leather chair whooshed as he leaned back. “Look, I just don’t like parents hiding things. Before you get upset, I need to run more tests on Ga
briel. From the blood we drew, the lab reported his white cell count is unusually high.”

  “What does that mean?” Andy asked. Laura’s eyes widened, and she looked to him for help. He could tell the doctor had not only pushed all her buttons but now had her teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

  “It means there could be some infection,” the doctor said. “Until I get all the tests back, I won’t know for sure. I don’t like to just hand out prescriptions for antibiotics. If there’s an infection, I want to know why and what’s causing it, whether it’s viral or bacterial. If it’s more serious, I also need the father’s medical history, as well. That’s why I asked, because neither of you shared the fact that Gabriel is not Andy’s biological child.” He looked at each of them in turn.

  Andy hadn’t thought too much about the boy who had fathered Gabriel, and as Gabriel snuggled in closer and gripped his shirt, he liked it even less that Gabriel wasn’t his. “He’s not in the picture, so what about in the meantime?” Andy asked.

  The doctor slid the paperwork across the desk. His expression was concerned enough that Andy felt all kinds of alarm bells going off. “Well, until I get Gabriel’s records, I need to know from you what has been prescribed in the past. Would you be able to find out the father’s medical history?”

  He looked to Andy for the answers, though Andy had only come into the picture a year ago, when Gabriel was four. Andy had never spoken to Laura about the father. All he knew was that the boy had wanted nothing to do with Laura after finding out she was pregnant, and her parents had asked her to leave. Maybe Andy had left her past alone for too long. He was pretty sure Gabriel had missed out on medical care, dental appointments. Andy had just assumed everything had been taken care of, but Laura wouldn’t have had any health insurance. She and Gabriel had barely been getting by.

  “I don’t think he’s ever taken anything, has he, Laura?” Andy said. He hadn’t meant to put her on the spot, but Laura just shook her head, and he didn’t miss the shadow that fell over her as she slouched a bit, trying to hide. She swallowed and looked to Andy, and now she was wringing her hands. Andy wondered what that was about. What he did know, though, was that he and Laura needed to sit down and have a heart-to-heart. Maybe it was time he found out everything that had happened to his wife and Gabriel before he knew them, before she ended up a maid in the Friessen mansion.