Baby of Fortune

by Shirley Rogers

  “Would it have made a difference if you’d known I was coming?”

  “I don’t know.” She searched his face, wishing for even a hint as to what he was thinking. “We didn’t exactly part on good terms.” Truthfully, they hadn’t exactly parted on any particular terms. He had simply walked away from her one day.

  Later, he’d contacted her through his lawyer, who had informed her he would be sending her a monthly check. Once she’d realized that he wasn’t coming back, she slowly started putting her life back together.

  Then she’d discovered she was pregnant again.

  They’d made love one of the last evenings they’d spent together. On her part, it had been a desperate attempt to regain some closeness between them. Heather hadn’t taken precautions, and neither had Justin. Even up to the very end, she’d hoped to have another child. She had foolishly thought another baby would help her marriage, had hoped Justin would love her if she gave him a child.

  But he’d left, anyway. It wasn’t long afterward that she had started missing her periods. When she’d found out she was pregnant, she was elated, yet deeply saddened by the irony of her situation. She realized she was going to have the baby they’d always wanted—only Justin wouldn’t be there to share the joy with her.

  She’d hoped he’d contact her, give her some idea he still cared for her. But he hadn’t, and she had decided at that point not to tell him about her pregnancy. She’d thought about it long and hard. But dealing with his rejection had been so difficult, and she’d known he would have come back to her only because of the baby. Heather just couldn’t live with him knowing that her love wasn’t enough to make him happy.

  For a while, she’d been worried he’d find out somehow, or that their paths would cross and he’d discover the truth. Fortunately, Pittsburgh was a very big city. Justin’s office was across town in the Pittsburgh Plate Glass building, and their house in the elite suburb of Fox Chapel was far enough away that she’d hoped her secret was safe. Apparently she hadn’t had to worry about it. Justin had never even tried to see her—until now, and the friends they’d had had dropped out of her life when she no longer traveled in the same circles.

  Justin’s lips curved into the bare resemblance of a smile. She hadn’t seemed surprised when he’d shown up. “My intent in coming here wasn’t to run roughshod over you.” His gaze was direct. “My motives aren’t suspect. I’m asking you to give us another chance.”

  When she didn’t answer right away, he felt his heart stop. His plans for a reconciliation depended on getting Heather alone with him so he could convince her to give their marriage another try.

  “I don’t know. I need to think about this,” she stated frankly.

  Though he didn’t necessarily like her answer, he decided not to pressure her. He’d give her some time to think about it, then see where that got him. He had a tenacious nature and wasn’t one to give up easily if something was important to him.

  That had a lot to do with his past. It hadn’t been easy getting past abandonment and growing up in foster care. Justin had never been fortunate enough to live with a family who cared about him.

  He hadn’t stayed with any one family very long. There had always been a reason to get rid of him, no matter how hard he’d tried to fit in. He’d been too young or too old, too reserved or too much trouble. At a very early age he’d learned to look out for himself.

  He should thank Miranda for instilling in him a drive to make something of himself. In a perverse way, her abandoning him as a baby had implanted the motivation to become independent and successful.

  “All right.” He stared at her a moment, then reached for her hand. He was both surprised and pleased when he realized she still wore his ring. He touched it, then watched the large, tear-shaped diamond sparkle in the light from the window. She drew her hand away, and he frowned. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Heather pressed her lips together as she followed him to the door. “No,” she said quickly, wanting to control their next meeting. “I have school and a meeting afterward. I’ll call you. Where will you be?”

  Reaching inside his jacket, he extracted a business card. “You know the office number. This has the number of my apartment, as well as my digital.”

  Heather studied the card as he opened the door. “All right, I’ll call you after school tomorrow.”

  Justin nodded, then stepped outside. He hesitated, then turned back toward her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Heather watched him get into his Mercedes and drive away. As he disappeared from sight, she sagged against the door, her strength zapped.

  Justin’s visit had blindsided her. Even a tornado wouldn’t have caused such havoc in her life.

  Was she losing her mind? She’d actually told him she’d think about his proposition—that she’d consider giving their marriage another try.

  Did she really want to?

  A long time ago she’d loved Justin. Could she learn to love him again?

  Three

  “How did he look?” Kathryn Watson asked as soon as they had settled around the kitchen table to eat dinner.

  “Justin?” Heather asked needlessly. “The same. Too handsome for his own good.” She twirled a few strings of spaghetti around on her fork, then took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. There wasn’t a woman on earth who wouldn’t look twice at him if she passed him on the street.

  “Does he know about Timmy?”

  “No! Oh, my, Mom. That’s what I thought, too, when I saw him.” She explained that she’d stopped off at home for a few minutes to bring some things into the house and that Paul Dailey had shown up. Heather also told her of the altercation between her husband and Paul.

  Kathryn chuckled, and Heather shot her mother a glare. “It wasn’t funny.”

  “I wish I’d been there,” Kathryn said. “Justin’s always been very protective of you. I bet he was seething.”

  “He was overbearing and rude,” Heather retorted, taking another bite of her food.

  “Well, at least that problem’s solved. You’ve been discouraging him for months.”

  “Yes, well, Justin didn’t have to be so…blunt,” she said, for lack of a better word.

  “Funny, that’s one of his traits that I’ve always admired. Justin’s not a man of many words, but when he says something, he’s direct. What did he want?” she asked.

  Heather told her about Justin’s heritage and how he’d gone to Texas to meet his biological mother and twin sister.

  “Well, I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s always been so alone in the world, without family, growing up being passed from foster home to foster home.”

  Kathryn had always told Heather that she found Justin’s drive to be one of his greatest strengths. He’d majored in business, and after graduation he’d worked for a while in the steel industry, then started his own steel fabrication company. Trigon Steel was now a major player in a city where the competition was stiff and often brutal.

  “He had me. I was his family,” she reminded her mother, her eyes cloaked with sadness. “He walked away from what we had.”

  “He was hurting, as you were. Justin isn’t anything like your father, honey. Henry was manipulative and selfish. He never led me to believe there was anything wrong between us. If I’d known he was having an affair, I would have left him long before he left us.”

  “Dad didn’t care about you or me.” Heather’s eyes glistened, and she looked away.

  She had a tremendous amount of respect for her mother. Kathryn Watson was strong and independent. She’d raised her daughter alone, had worked overtime hours as a secretary to help her pay for college. Heather was fortunate to have her mother as her best friend and confidante.

  However, her father’s desertion remained with her throughout her life. Though her mother had dealt with his betrayal, Heather was never able to express the hurt and rejection that was always a part of her.

  Kathryn remained silent for a moment, then said quietl
y, “Not all men leave.”

  “Justin did.” Heather couldn’t forget that. His leaving had effectively reinforced the wall around her heart.

  Kathryn reached across the kitchen table and touched her daughter’s hand. “Everyone handles grief differently. Justin handled it the only way he knew. He threw himself into his work. He didn’t know how to relate what he was feeling.”

  “Mom, you’ve always championed Justin.” She wrinkled her brow, deepening her frown. “I know you’ve supported me, too, but why is it you feel the need to come to his defense?”

  “Because he’s never had anyone to do that for him,” Kathryn answered softly. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to grow up without any connection to the world. No family, no distant relatives, no one.”

  “Well, now he has an entire family, complete with a half brother and sister. Apparently, they’re extremely rich.” She shoved her plate away and sat back in the chair. “Mom, he wants me to go to Texas to meet his mother and he has this…this weird idea of us giving ourselves a month together to see if we can work things out between us.”

  Speechless, Kathryn stared blankly at her daughter. “A month? What did you tell him?”

  “That I needed to think about it. What else could I say?” Gauging her mother’s thoughtful expression, Heather asked, “What do you think?”

  “Marriages aren’t always easy, honey. The fact that Justin has come to you means a lot. He must still have feelings for you. And how would you feel if you gave up this chance? You have Timmy to think about, as well as yourself. You’re going to have to tell him about Timmy, Heather.”

  Heather saw the censure in her mother’s eyes. “I know. And I will. Just not yet.” She flushed as guilt ate at her. She had intended to tell Justin about the baby before now, really she had. It was ironic that he’d shown up and had effectively taken away her chance to come clean voluntarily. “I know Justin, and if he found out about his son, he’d insist on reconciling for that reason alone. I don’t want a marriage based on sacrifice.”

  Kathryn picked up Heather’s plate and took it to the sink. “Look, why don’t you think about going to Texas? You’ll be alone together, and it will be the perfect opportunity to see if you can salvage your marriage.”

  “I can’t just up and run off to Texas, Mom. I have responsibilities here. I have Timmy to take care of.”

  “Don’t use Timmy as an excuse,” Kathryn scolded. “I can keep him for you, and you know he’ll be safe with me.”

  Heat darkened Heather’s already flushed face. Her mother wasn’t easily fooled. Using Timmy was a quick and easy excuse she could hide behind. “All right, I know that.”

  “Then go home and think long and hard about what Justin has proposed.”

  Later at home, Heather could think of nothing else. Did she dare do as her mother encouraged? She wasn’t even sure if she could leave Timmy for a long period of time. He was so little, and he needed her. Since his birth, she hadn’t been away from him, other than the hours she was at school. How could she abandon him to her mother for a month?

  There was no way she could leave Timmy. She’d just have to think of something else, she decided, her head full of decisions to make, her heart heavy.

  “Your wife is on line four.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Harris,” Justin responded, and realized his voice wasn’t as steady as he’d have liked.

  He’d been impatiently waiting for Heather to call, had instructed his secretary to put her through immediately. He’d even picked up the telephone several times to call her, only to put it back down. Aware his hands were sweating, he rubbed them on his slacks, then picked up the receiver and punched a button on the telephone.

  “Heather?” He was anxious to hear her husky voice, to hear her say his name. Her effect on him even after one short visit was lethal. She was all he could think about.

  “Hi. Is this a bad time?”

  Justin thought she sounded a little rattled. Well, he could relate to that. His uncertainty as to what she was thinking or what her decision might be had made him irritable. His secretary had threatened to quit after working with him for only a few hours this morning. He knew the reason, and its name was Heather.

  “No, of course not. You can call me anytime.”

  “Oh.” There was silence on the line while she digested that. “Well, I’ll only keep you for a moment. I was wondering if we could meet. You know, to talk.”

  “Of course,” he assured her, enjoying the breathless sound of her voice as she spoke. It wrapped around him, warming him like a blanket on a cold, snowy day. “How about if I stop by the house this evening?” he suggested, wanting to see her again as soon as he could. He’d drive there right now if she said the word.

  “No,” she replied quickly. “I, um, have some business to attend to in the city. I thought maybe you wouldn’t mind if I came to your apartment.”

  That cost her—which made him curious as to her motive, wondering if she was purposely setting a meeting on her own terms. Though he’d told his lawyer to give her the address in case she needed to reach him, Heather had never set foot in his apartment or called there.

  “All right.” He leaned over his desk, propped his elbows on it, and he stared at her picture. In it she was smiling at him, reminding him of everything he’d given up when he’d left her. “What time is good for you?”

  She named a time, and he gave her directions. He hesitated breaking the connection, reluctant to end their conversation. But she didn’t say anything more, and like a fool, he couldn’t think of a way to prolong it. “I’ll see you at seven, then.”

  “Yes,” Heather said. “Seven.”

  Justin put the receiver in its cradle, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He drove his fingers through his hair, then held his head in his hands, his eyes fixed on the picture of Heather on his desk. Even after they’d separated, he’d never put it away.

  It was of her while they were on their honeymoon. It wasn’t one of those posed shots by a professional, but a candid photo, catching her eyes shining with happiness, her wide smile. Her auburn hair fell around her face, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

  She looked happy and blissful.

  That had been a lifetime ago, before she’d withdrawn into herself when she’d lost their baby. In the beginning, he’d pushed her, trying to force her to face their loss. When she’d continue to resist his efforts, he’d backed away. He’d dealt with the loss of their child in his own way, throwing himself into his work, driving himself to the edge of sanity just to get through each day. Somehow they’d lost each other in the process of healing their wounds.

  But now he hoped they could find the common bond that had brought them together in the beginning of their relationship.

  He glanced at his gold watch and realized he had only a few hours before she’d be at his apartment.

  Justin decided to step up his plan to woo his wife.

  The doorman to the high-rise building didn’t hesitate when Heather identified herself and who she was there to see. He opened the door and greeted her cordially, as if they’d met on several occasions before.

  “Mrs. Bond. Mr. Bond is expecting you.”

  She smiled, a nervous little smile that caused her lips to tremble. Obviously Justin had left word with the doorman to expect her. Her legs shaking, she walked across the black-and-white marbled floor to the elevator. Her hand trembled as she pressed the call button. A few moments later, the doors opened and she stepped inside.

  Her heart jumped as the car ascended. She told herself it was because of the alarming speed of the elevator, not because it was taking her to Justin. To steady herself, she grasped the silver bar on the wall and held on tight. Before she could regain her equilibrium, the bell sounded and the car stopped on the top floor.

  There were several apartment doors in view as she stepped off, but Heather knew to look for the number he’d given her. Still, she glanced at the paper the address was written on to be s
ure she had it right, then stuffed it inside her purse. She approached the door with the caution a trainer would use when confronting an uncaged lion, then stopped in front of it. Her hand shook as she raised it and gave a soft knock.

  Moments later, it opened, and her husband was standing before her. He was dressed rather casually. For Justin, anyway. He had on dark-blue slacks and a polo shirt. His hair was slicked back from his face.

  He smiled when he saw her, exposing that adorable dimple, and Heather’s heart melted a little, which caused her concern. She resented his ability to generate such a reaction inside her by his mere presence, momentarily robbing her of her perspective.

  “Hi,” she said, and prayed her legs wouldn’t give out on her. Realizing she was clutching her purse, she willed herself to relax. The last thing she wanted was to seem nervous, though at the moment, that was an understatement.

  He reached for her hand. She hesitated a beat, then offered it to him.

  “Come in,” he said, drawing her into the room.

  His tense expression relaxed a bit, and she was surprised at the brief look of relief she saw in his eyes. Had he wondered if she would change her mind? Well, it wasn’t like she hadn’t thought of canceling a hundred times, she admitted silently.

  “I was glad to hear from you.”

  “I said I would call,” she reminded him. She felt a tingle of pleasure as his hand closed around hers. It disconcerted her, when more than ever she wanted to keep her bearings about her. The familiar scent of his cologne drifted to her, and unconsciously she stepped closer to him.

  Since she’d never been to his apartment, had never even known where it was other than the address, she was more than curious. An odd feeling crawled up her spine as she took in her surroundings. The room was spacious and formal, the furniture expensive and not at all what she’d envisioned. She’d imagined soft leather furniture, black or gray, something appealing to a man, with a large television and every electronic gadget that could possibly be used with it.