Baby of Fortune

by Shirley Rogers

  Justin grinned wickedly and gazed into her eyes. “Leave them on. I want to look at you.” He started to reach for the snap of her pants, but stopped when she spoke again.

  “No, please turn them off,” she whispered.

  Again Justin hesitated, his expression questioning her reserve. “We’ve made love many times during the day, sweetheart. You never used to be shy.” He touched her breast with his tongue, and she moved her hips in response.

  “Please, Justin. Just for now.”

  Shrugging, he humored her and reached over to switch off the light. Moonlight shining through the sheer curtains cast the room in shadows. Justin shed the rest of his clothes as quickly as Heather had, then he returned to her.

  Beginning at her belly, he lowered his mouth and touched her navel, then ran his tongue lower. Then lower still to the soft petals of her womanhood. Heather arched her back, and she spread open for him. She cried out with pleasure as he stroked her, and he nearly lost his control.

  “Please, Justin. Take me. Take me now,” she pleaded, mindless, lost in the erotic ecstasy of his caresses.

  Justin moved quickly, spreading her legs wide with his thigh. Then he sheathed himself inside her sweet warmth, gritting his teeth, holding back his own pleasure. She reached for him, and he covered her with his body, finding her mouth and kissing her deeply. Her hips rocked as he surged into her over and over again. “Heather.” Her name came out hard, and he grunted as he felt her reach the peak of her desire.

  Justin’s control snapped. He tightened his arms around her, molding her to him as he climaxed.

  Moments later, he shifted his weight from her and snuggled next to her. He rested his cheek on her breast, and she sighed with pleasure.

  Let’s make a baby.

  His words reverberated through her mind, mocking her, and she considered telling him about Timmy right then. He would be so happy to learn of his son.

  She started to speak, then hesitated, and fear prevented her from saying the words. Weighing her options, she thought it wiser to wait until morning. It was only a few hours longer.

  But there were flaws in her reasoning, and she wrestled with her conscience for a few minutes. The best thing was to tell him right now, while they were still in each other’s arms, sated from sharing their emotions, their innermost feelings and the intimacy of their bodies.

  She made her decision. “Justin?” she whispered softly. She trailed a finger lovingly down his spine. “Justin?” But he didn’t stir. Heather could hear his even breathing, and she realized he’d fallen asleep.

  He’d know in a few hours, she assured herself. Her heart swelled with joy. She so much wanted to share the news of his son with him! But she could wait until morning. They had forever now.

  Justin slowly opened his eyes and, blinking a few times, made the adjustment to daylight. He stared with heartfelt wonder at his beautiful wife. Lying on her back and still lost in sleep, her arms rested above her head. The sheet covered most of her body, stopping just above the rosy nipples of her breasts. He was already used to having Heather in his bed again, and he couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t want her there. She was his life, his reason for living. His heart swelled with love for her.

  He’d reached for her during the night and she’d come into his arms willingly, half asleep but easily aroused. They’d loved each other until they were both exhausted and had then drifted off into a dream-filled state. Just looking at her now ignited a fire in his groin.

  Moving closer to her, Justin slowly tugged the sheet down, baring her to him. He softly touched the tip of her breast, watching it pucker in response even as she slept. She moaned quietly when he trailed his finger down her middle. Her head turned toward him when he pressed a kiss to her stomach. He rested his head there, and ran his palm gently over her smooth, delicate skin. She was so lovely. And she was his.

  He raised himself over her and touched his tongue to her, then kissed the sensitive area between her legs, initiating a response from her body that even sleep couldn’t prevent.

  He couldn’t get enough of her.

  Then he saw them.

  Two tiny white marks, each about an inch long, embedded in the delicate skin near her hip. Puzzled, he ran his gaze from the tuft of soft curly hair between her legs to her breasts, then down along her left side.

  Two more—and another not far away near the top of her thigh.

  Frowning, he ran his finger over one.

  Stretch marks. What the hell? His brows furrowed as he thought about them. Heather had never been big, so they definitely hadn’t come from losing weight, he reasoned. Then where? Her pregnancy had ended in the first trimester, so he ruled that out as a cause.

  “Heather,” he whispered softly. He moved up a little so he could see her face. “Heather.”

  “Mmm, what?” she murmured, still in a light sleep. She frowned.

  “Wake up, honey.” He kissed her lips, and her eyelids fluttered open. She gazed up at him and a slow, sexy smile formed on her lips. Justin felt his heart lurch.

  He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Not that I’m complaining, because I think your body’s beautiful,” he began, “but how’d you get these?”

  Heather felt his thumb rub gently over an area near her hip. The hazy look in her eyes cleared as they opened wider. “What?”

  “These marks,” Justin said again, curiosity in his voice as he glanced at them again. “They look like stretch marks.”

  She didn’t say a word. Just stared at him. But Justin saw the warm flush rise in her cheeks as guilt crept over her features.

  He sat up and stared down at her, pondering her response. “They are stretch marks, aren’t they?”

  Realizing she was caught in the web of her own deceit, Heather nodded without speaking.

  “Where did they come from?”

  She looked away and stiffened. Her behavior had a strange effect on him, frightening him. Justin had a sick feeling in his belly as he watched her edge herself into a sitting position and draw the sheet over her naked body.

  “Justin, first, you have to believe I was going to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” He still wasn’t sure what was happening. He just knew it wasn’t good by the way she was looking at him, her eyes filled with panic.

  She covered her mouth with her hands, and tears sprang to her eyes. She shook her head. “Please don’t hate me.” Gasping for air, she started rocking back and forth, staring at the bedspread.

  Don’t hate me? Dumbfounded, Justin started to reach for her, but she recoiled from his touch. His entire body froze. “Calm down, honey. What is it?” He sucked in a hard breath and braced himself, as she lifted her tear-filled gaze to his.

  “You have a son. His name is Timmy.”

  Justin went still. “What?”

  “I know I should have said something before now,” Heather blurted, “but I wanted to give us a chance together. I wanted the same thing you did, to make our marriage work. I—”

  He flew off the bed and stood beside it, staring down at her. “Wait. What are you talking about?” His tone had changed, becoming nearly lethal as his mind began to comprehend her words.

  “I was pregnant when you left me.”

  Shock and disbelief quickly gave way to anger as he snatched his clothes from the floor. “Pregnant.” As he jerked on his pants, he repeated the word as if he didn’t understand the meaning. The disgust in his eyes told her he understood all too well.

  “Yes. I was going to tell you,” she said quickly, “you know, in the beginning. But you never even called me the entire year we were apart. I thought if you didn’t care about me, you wouldn’t care about our child,” she explained, trying to make him understand her actions. “I hardly knew you those last few months. We barely spoke.”

  Justin glared down at her, anger sweeping through him and charging the atmosphere of the room. “That didn’t stop you from having sex with me the last weekend we were together,�
�� he reminded her, his tone accusing.

  “I was trying to save our marriage!”

  Justin stalked away, then swung around and pinned her with a brutal look. “By lying to me?” he demanded hotly. “By keeping my son from me?” His clenched his fists, stunned at her deception. “I’ll admit I’m not an expert on love, but I don’t think that’s how it works, sweetheart.” The endearment dripped with sarcasm.

  “I was hurting and alone.” She tried again to make him understand.

  “Well, guess what, sweetheart? You don’t own the title on pain.” He pointed a finger at her. “It hurt me to lose that baby, too. Did you even realize that? Or did you think I was so empty-hearted that I wouldn’t care?” Bone-crushing pain crashed down on him. That she believed him incapable of these emotions hurt more than her lies. That she believed he wouldn’t want to know about his son…

  Heather stared at him, horror on her face.

  “Where is he?” Justin demanded.

  “He…my mother has him. He’s staying with her at our house.”

  Our house. The words rolled off her tongue so easily, it made him sick.

  Justin staggered, then righted himself by bracing his hand against the wall. “Why, Heather? Why didn’t you tell me before?” he demanded. “I was there in the house with you—” He stopped speaking, remembering her reluctance to let him in their house. “Where was he? Where was my son when I was there?” His voice rose a notch, bordering on shouting. He didn’t care. He wanted answers.

  “When you first came to the house, he was at Mom’s.”

  “I don’t understand how you could do this to me.” Despair racked his body. Everything she’d said had been a lie. He stared at her as she clutched the sheet, covering herself. Everything they’d done had been a lie.

  “Justin—”

  “No!” he said harshly, rounding on her. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies. All of this—” he swept the room with his hand “—was supposed to be for us. I was trying to reestablish the trust between us and all the while, you were deceiving me.”

  Heather was still shaking, but she got out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around her body. “Everything was happening so fast. You walked back into my life, then wanted to whisk me off to Texas. I started to tell you about the baby, but I knew you’d be angry.”

  “You’re damn right, I’m angry!”

  “I know. I know. And you have every right to be, but believe me, after last night, what we shared, well, I was going to tell you this morning.”

  “How convenient for you to admit that now.”

  “I was!”

  “Yeah? Well, I was stupid enough to believe you once. I won’t make the same mistake again.” Justin suddenly remembered her quick excuse when he’d picked up the pacifier at the school that day. And only last night, she’d asked him to lower the lights…so he wouldn’t see her scars.

  She’s been lying to me all along, said a voice in his head. She went to extremes to keep my son from me. His heart ached with the knowledge that she’d had plenty of opportunities to tell him, and yet she’d chosen not to.

  She had a year to tell me.

  “It’s true!” she insisted. Heather had expected him to be angry, but she’d believed he’d be reasonable when she explained her feelings.

  He turned away and grabbed his suitcase from beside the bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  For a moment he didn’t answer. Then, with very deliberate movements, he faced her again, his expression devoid of every emotion except contempt. “I’m going to get my son. I suggest you get dressed if you want to go with me.”

  Justin held on to his anger as a shield against his feelings for Heather. He’d won her back, only to lose her again. He couldn’t trust her now, not after the lies she’d told him. He’d never believed her capable of repeatedly lying to him. They’d conceived a child together, and she’d never told him. His jaw worked back and forth as he mulled over the past few hours.

  You promised you’d never let her go again.

  This was different, he justified to himself. She was the one who’d lied to him. This was her doing. Heather wanted him to believe part of this fiasco was his fault, but he wasn’t culpable, and he wasn’t going to let her put the blame on him. That would be playing right into her hands. Annoyance and humiliation warred within him. He’d thought he was so smart, charging back into her life and claiming her as his own.

  It was discouraging to realize that he couldn’t control his own destiny. Every time he thought he was making progress, life kicked him in the teeth. He’d let down his guard last night, and had let her get too close to him. Now he was paying the price.

  She moved in her seat and her leg brushed his. A bolt of awareness shot through him, and he cursed beneath his breath. Memories of their lovemaking assailed him, and right on the tail of that memory came the sound of her voice, confessing her lies.

  You have a son. His name is Timmy.

  He wouldn’t give her the power to hurt him again. He’d taken worse from the foster families he’d lived with, but he’d never believed Heather was capable of causing him this kind of pain.

  Heather was out of the car before Justin had a chance to kill the engine. She rushed up the steps to her house, anxious to see her baby. She’d called her mother before leaving San Antonio to let her know they’d be arriving. Kathryn had been full of questions, but Heather had only had time to tell her the barest facts, before Justin had walked into the room.

  She unlocked the door now and swung it open so hard that it slammed against the wall. “Mom?” Hearing sounds coming from the kitchen, she rushed in that direction. “Mom!”

  Kathryn walked through the kitchen door and into the foyer with Timmy in her arms, almost running into her daughter. “Hi, honey,” she said, her greeting warm and sincere. “Timmy, look who’s here!” She slipped her grandson to her daughter as she embraced her.

  Heather half cried and half laughed as she hugged her baby to her. “I’ve missed you so much!” Timmy gave her a bright smile, and she kissed his little cheeks. Then she turned toward Justin, and her own smile faded as she faced his embittered expression. She felt a stab of pain. Heather glanced at her mother, whose troubled look signaled her awareness of the tension. Prudently, she kept silent.

  Heather looked back at Justin, and took a deep, stabilizing breath. “This is Timmy, your son,” she told him, her voice softening as she hugged her baby close. “Timmy, this is your daddy.”

  Justin reached out his arms, and Heather gave him the baby. Having no experience with children, he wasn’t sure what to do, but instinct took over. He cradled his son to his chest, slipping a hand behind his back to guard against his wriggling out of his arms.

  Justin’s heart melted a little, easing his anguish a fraction. The little boy had brown hair and the famous Fortune blue eyes.

  Your son.

  Unable to talk, Justin just stared at the baby in wonder. It was Kathryn who suggested they sit in the den and get comfortable. She watched her son-in-law holding his baby and gave her daughter a reassuring hug.

  While Justin held Timmy, Heather asked, “How did everything go?”

  “Like clockwork,” Kathryn assured her. “How did you like San Antonio?”

  “It was lovely.” She started to comment further, but Timmy began to fuss. Heather went to him, and when she held out her arms, Justin passed him back without objecting.

  “He’s been a little fussy this afternoon. I’m not sure why. I was just getting ready to feed him, when you came in,” Kathryn said. “Let me get his bottle.”

  “No, I’ll get it,” Heather insisted, diverting her gaze from Justin. She was already walking away before Kathryn could object.

  Silence fell, shrouding the atmosphere.

  Justin rubbed his jaw as he met Kathryn’s direct gaze. “Kathryn, it’s good to see you,” he offered, not positive of the reception he’d get. He felt sure Heather had briefed her mother on why th
ey’d returned so suddenly.

  Kathryn eyed him speculatively. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it.”

  Justin nodded, knowing there was something more than casual conversation on her mind.

  Her expression softened. “She was going to tell you, you know. We talked about it often.”

  Justin made a disgruntled sound. “And what was your position?”

  “I encouraged her to call you.”

  “As you said, it’s been a long time. A whole year. She sure took her time about it,” he stated, his tone cutting.

  Kathryn looked him right in the eye. “And exactly what would you have done if she’d called you when she’d first learned she was pregnant?”

  “You damn well know what I would have done, Kathryn. I’d have come back.”

  She shook her head. “Exactly.”

  Justin frowned at her, annoyed that she seemed to be way ahead of him in the conversation. “Your point being?”

  “She didn’t want you to feel trapped into coming back to her. Heather has pride too, Justin.”

  Too. As in just like you. Justin held his tongue, as Heather came back into the room.

  “Well, I guess since I’m not needed around here, I’ll take off.”

  “Mom, you don’t have to go.” Heather’s voice held a plea that her mother wisely ignored.

  “Oh, yes, honey, I do.” She got up, and Justin stood at the same time. “I’ll just get my things from the bedroom.”

  “Let me help you.” Justin followed her out, then, when they returned, carried Kathryn’s bags out to her car while she said goodbye to Heather. A minute later, as he was closing the trunk, Kathryn came out. She started to get in, then stopped and met Justin’s gaze.

  “Heather called me from Texas several times a day to check on the baby,” she volunteered. “I got the impression things were going really well between you two.” She waited, and when Justin didn’t answer, she continued, “Not once in the six years you and Heather were married did I ever butt into your business. But I’m going to make an exception this one time.” She reached over the door frame of the car and squeezed his arm. “You think good and hard about what’s inside that house that you stand to lose.”