The Texan's Surprise Baby

by Gina Wilkins

  “My mother’s middle name is Elizabeth. I think Claire Elizabeth is a pretty name, don’t you?”

  “Very nice.”

  Claire Elizabeth...Bell? Walker? Bell-Walker? She suspected that question nagged at Andrew just as it did at her. He didn’t have to tell her which he preferred. She knew he wanted his child to carry his name. But he would probably agree to whatever she ultimately decided, as long as he had an active role in the child’s life.

  “Have you given any more thought to going with me to Dallas tomorrow?”

  She tucked her hair behind her left ear. “I’m still thinking about it.”

  “You haven’t entirely ruled it out?”

  “No,” she admitted. She wasn’t afraid to stay here, but maybe she should be with him when he told his parents about the baby. It would only be fair, because she planned to tell hers with him there tonight.

  It would be natural for his parents to worry about what he’d gotten himself into, maybe even to question the character of the woman who was carrying his baby. As far as she knew, Andrew wasn’t one of the superwealthy, but from what she’d gleaned about them, his family lived quite comfortably. They owned businesses and had a reputation to consider. Putting herself in their shoes, she could see how they would be concerned if he simply told them out of the blue that he was having a child with a woman they’d never met. She supposed she owed it to him as a simple courtesy to meet and reassure them, especially because Andrew was going out of his way to accommodate her on so many counts.

  “I’ll talk to the family, see if there would be any problem with my taking another week off,” she conceded. “I still haven’t decided, but maybe.”

  The flare of satisfaction in his eyes suggested he was confident she would be leaving with him tomorrow. “Good.”

  She started to warn him again not to be so certain, but decided to let it go. It was true that she hadn’t ruled it out, so maybe she would go. Actually, maybe she’d be glad to get away for a few days after tonight.

  “I’ve decided we should tell my family at dinner,” she said, knowing there was no need to be more specific. “You’re right, the longer I wait, the more likely it is they’ll find out anyway. They deserve to hear the truth from me.”

  Andrew cleared his throat. “I think you should know that Aaron already knows. I didn’t tell him,” he added quickly. “Shelby figured it out and when Aaron asked me outright if it was true, I couldn’t lie to him.”

  She couldn’t be mad at him of course. “Maggie knows, too,” she confessed. “For the same reason—she made an educated guess.”

  Had any other members of her family reached the same conclusion? Her parents? Her aunt or uncle? She doubted that Mimi had, because her grandmother would never be able to keep quiet about it.

  “Then it’s definitely time you tell your parents,” Andrew said. “Your dad’s going to give me enough evil-eye looks as it is.”

  “Dad won’t blame you.”

  “Dads always blame the guy,” he retorted. “Just wait a few years and see how I react to any guy who comes sniffing around our daughter.”

  She bit her lower lip, trying to imagine what it would be like to share a teenage daughter with Andrew.

  He cleared his throat, drawing her thoughts back to the present. “How, um, how do you think your family is going to react? Really?”

  She’d been trying to predict that since she’d first realized in utter shock that she was pregnant. She’d known from the beginning that eventually she would have to tell them about that night in Dallas—after she’d told Andrew of course. She still didn’t know exactly how they would feel about it.

  “I think they’ll be fine with it,” she answered him cautiously. “Everyone likes you. Maggie was certainly pleased when I confirmed her guess.”

  “Are you prepared for the questions? About how we got together, I mean.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “To an extent. They don’t need too many details of course.”

  A quick flare of heat in his eyes made her suspect he was remembering a few of those details himself, but he moved on. “You know your grandparents—and maybe your parents, too—will ask if we plan to marry.”

  She winced. He had just stated the very reason she’d been so resistant to telling her family. “Yes, probably. Especially Mimi.”

  “Yeah, she was already trying to push us that way. She’ll be even more determined now.”

  Hannah lifted her chin. “We’ll just have to tell her to butt out. I’ll try to be gentle about it, but if she persists, I’ll have to get firm with her.”

  “And that’s all the answer you plan to give them?” He watched her face closely as he asked, making her wonder just where this was leading.

  “I’ll make a general statement that we haven’t yet worked out the details, but that both of us want you to be an important part of our child’s life,” she said. “We still have so much to discuss, but the family needs to back off while we make our decisions.”

  “Just so you know, I think marriage is one of the options we should consider.”

  She felt her jaw start to drop, and quickly snapped it shut again. Surely he didn’t consider that a proposal. If so, it had to be the least romantic attempt ever! Not that she wanted him to go on one knee or anything, she quickly assured herself. More likely, he was just outlining all the options, feasible or not, in that ultraorganized and compulsively thorough manner of his.

  She abruptly rose from the couch, having looked ahead just about all she could for the moment. “Maybe we should head on over. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to give Mom a hand with dinner.”

  He stood, sliding his phone into his pocket. She thought she saw him square his shoulders before he said, “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get this over with.”

  * * *

  Even though they were a few minutes early, the rest of the family—with the exception of Lori—had already gathered at the home of Hannah’s parents. Andrew noted that his entrance with Hannah was greeted in various ways—beaming approval from her grandmother, distracted welcome from her parents, barely veiled excitement from the younger members of the family who were in on the secret. A big brisket had been in the smoker all day to be served with roasted vegetables and yeast rolls. A carnivorous family, this, but then, most of his were, too. While he was generally just as happy with veggies, he had to admit the Texas mesquite-smoked meat smelled delicious.

  Like the other two houses in the compound, this one had an open floor plan with bedrooms set off down a hallway on one side and few walls in the common living area. Kitchen, dining and living areas flowed together so that visiting was easier. A large-screen TV hung above a fireplace in one cozy corner formed by a sectional sofa and comfortable chairs; a game table and bookcases filled another corner. Framed photographs covered nearly every surface, mostly of Hannah and Maggie in various stages of growing up, but also quite a few of the rest of the extended family. There was plenty of seating for eating around a table with eight chairs and a quartz-topped bar with four tall stools with padded leather backrests. Because there were exactly twelve for dinner, Aaron, Shelby, Steven and Maggie claimed the barstools, leaving the table for everyone else.

  “Is Lori not joining us?” Maggie asked as she helped set out silverware. “She and I had talked about taking a trail ride tomorrow. We haven’t done that in forever.”

  “I haven’t heard from her,” Sarah complained. “She left this morning without a word to anyone. Your dad and I didn’t even see her leave. We were still getting ready for the day. Heaven only knows when she’ll be home.”

  “I know one thing for certain,” C.J. said with a scowl, “she and I are going to be having a talk when she finally gets home. This running around at all hours, neglecting her responsibilities at home and work, not even giving us the courtesy of telling us when she’s going to be home has got to stop. We’ve been too lenient with her. We never would have let Steven or Shelby get away with this behavior—not that eit
her of them were ever so inconsiderate.”

  “Dad, Lori is twenty years old,” Shelby pointed out. “You aren’t really putting her on a curfew, are you? Not unless you want her to move out.”

  “We don’t want her to move out,” Sarah insisted with a hard look at her husband. “We’d just like to know when to expect her so we know when we should worry. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.”

  “It’s not, Mom,” Steven agreed from the bar. “Lori’s being a brat. I blame that Webber jerk. Bad influence.”

  Shelby groaned. “Let’s not rehash this again. Where were you planning to trail ride, Maggie?”

  Maggie took her seat at the bar next to her cousin while the others, seated at the table, began to pass dishes family style. “Rough Rock Stables. You want to go even if Lori doesn’t decide to join us?”

  “Sure. Aaron’s going to be busy all day tomorrow anyway, installing the security barriers with your dad.”

  Bryan nodded, then glanced at Aaron. “You still want to do that tomorrow, right? I mean, you can take off and go riding with the girls if you want.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’d rather get the security measures in place,” Aaron assured him.

  Spearing a slice of brisket, Mimi asked, “Do you ride, Aaron?”

  Andrew and Aaron shared an amused glance.

  “Yes,” Aaron said for them both. “We ride. There’s really not a lot of choice in our family.”

  “Your folks own horses?” Pop asked, scooping potatoes onto his plate.

  Seated across the table from Pop, Andrew explained. “Our uncle owns a ranch outside of Dallas. He raises horses, a few heads of cattle and boys.”

  “Boys?” Linda inquired with a quizzical smile.

  “The ranch is a home for at-risk foster boys. Has been for years. Our uncle and aunt take them in, give them affection, attention, discipline, education, therapy if necessary. Most of them turn their lives around there, going on to college and/or successful careers afterward, though there have been a very few they just couldn’t get through to, who didn’t turn out so well. There was a big reunion at the ranch a few years ago with quite a few of the guys who spent time there, and most of them still consider our uncle Jared a surrogate father.”

  “Well, isn’t that nice,” Mimi marveled. “Your family really likes children, don’t they, Andrew?”

  “You could say that,” he agreed, carefully avoiding Hannah’s gaze. “Our dad is one of seven siblings, all of whom had kids of their own.”

  He wasn’t sure if Aaron had told them about their dad’s unconventional background: Ryan Walker and his twin brother, Joe, had been separated from their brothers and sisters as children when their parents died. It had taken them some twenty-five years to find each other again, with the exception of one brother who’d died as a teenager, leaving a pregnant girlfriend as his only known survivor. The Walkers valued family because they all knew what it was like to be separated from each other, and had learned not to take their loved ones for granted afterward. They’d raised their children with that same pro-family ethic.

  He’d mishandled that brief conversation with Hannah before dinner. He’d been mentally kicking himself ever since for his awkward broaching of the possibility of marriage. He knew how skittish Hannah was about the subject, especially after overhearing part of her conversation with her sister earlier that week. Rather than just blurting it out as a possibility, he should have made more of an effort to convince her of what a practical, reasonable solution it could be to their situation.

  Yes, there were other options, and they should certainly consider them all, but marriage did seem like one of the more logical actions they could take, especially because her job here could rather easily convert to a telecommuting position. To be honest, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of having Hannah and their daughter with him all the time. He would just have to find a way to discuss it with her without having her bolt in panic because of her previous marriage’s bitter end.

  “I think it’s wonderful that your aunt and uncle take in children,” Mimi continued with all the subtlety of a freight train. “It just goes to show that it takes more than biology to make a family. Plenty of men adopt children and grow to love them as their own.”

  “Stop it, Mom,” Bryan warned in a grumble, his graying brows drawing into a frown.

  The older woman widened her eyes in exaggerated bewilderment. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do. Eat your dinner.”

  She sighed gustily and sliced into her meat. Andrew focused intently on his own plate, ignoring the snort of muffled laughter that might have come from his twin.

  Ever the gracious hostess, Linda immediately launched into a conversation about an interesting article she’d read online, drawing several others into a discussion with her. Shelby and Maggie continued to plan their riding outing, while Aaron and Steven talked baseball stats. Andrew noted that Hannah was rather subdued as she ate, probably mentally composing the announcement she planned to make after the meal. He had to confess he was having trouble making airy small talk himself.

  Shelby gave a sudden gasp, drawing everyone’s eyes to her in curiosity. Andrew saw that she was staring down at the screen of her phone, which must have been on vibrate-only mode because he hadn’t heard a sound from it. Her face had gone pale, he noted in concern.

  “Shelby?” Aaron reached out to touch her arm. “Is something wrong?”

  She looked toward her parents with hesitation, looking as though she almost dreaded her next words. “Lori sent me a text. She wants me to tell you that she isn’t coming back tonight.”

  C.J. scowled. “I guess she told you she’s staying with ‘friends’?”

  “No, Dad.” Shelby swallowed visibly before saying, “Lori and Zach have eloped. They were married this afternoon.”

  * * *

  General chaos erupted after Shelby’s shocking announcement. The mostly finished meal forgotten, everyone rose, milling around the room as if trying to decide what they should do in response to this unexpected announcement. Shelby tried texting questions to her sister but received no response.

  “That just can’t be true,” Sarah insisted somewhat frantically. “How could she just elope?”

  “You said you didn’t see her leave this morning,” Andrew said, going immediately into work mode. “So you don’t know if she took any of her things?”

  “No,” Sarah admitted.

  “I can go check,” Shelby volunteered, looking eager to have something specific to do. “I’ll be right back.”

  Offering to accompany her, Maggie was right behind Shelby as she dashed out the door.

  His expression grim, C.J. comforted his tearful wife while Sarah tended to Mimi, who’d gone uncharacteristically quiet with shock, and Bryan hovered near Pop, both looking worried about the impulsive youngest member of the family. Aaron moved closer to Andrew. “Should we try to do something?” he asked. “We could probably track her down.”

  “And then what?” Andrew asked with a slight shrug. He understood why Aaron felt compelled to make the suggestion, but they had to be reasonable. “Lori’s twenty and Webber’s twenty-one. That’s a legal age to marry in every state. All they had to do was drive to Arkansas, where there’s no waiting period, and find a justice of the peace. It’s probable they had this planned ahead so they knew exactly what to do.”

  “She took bags,” Shelby reported upon her return with Maggie. “Quite a few of her clothes and shoes are missing, along with toiletries and a few other things I noticed with a quick look around her room.”

  “So she really did it,” Sarah said, sinking slowly into a chair. “She’s run off and gotten married.”

  “To a barely employed musician with a juvenile record,” C.J. muttered angrily. “And she’s got another year of college to go. Does anyone believe she’ll finish now?”

  Steven rose to balance on his crutches. “Okay, look, I know you’re disappointe
d, but this isn’t the end of the world. Lori’s an adult, and she’s going to have to make her own decisions. If this marriage works out, that’s great for her. If not, well, she’ll handle that, too.”

  Andrew noted that Hannah nodded solemnly. “It won’t do any good to yell at her now,” she assured them. “She’ll just avoid coming around with him. Even if she suspects she made a mistake, she’ll need to try to make it work for a while just because she’ll have a hard time admitting she should have listened to her parents’ advice. My advice would be to try to get to know him, let Lori know you’re here for her if you need her—and keep Zach away from the resort finances, just in case,” she added with a hint of bitterness.

  “No question about that,” C.J. muttered. He didn’t respond to the rest of her advice, but Andrew figured he’d heard it all and would consider it.

  Perhaps needing to return to a semblance of normalcy, Linda began to clear the table. After a moment, the others pitched in to help. Several had tried to contact Lori, but their calls were not being answered for now.

  A few minutes later, Hannah moved to Andrew’s side in the main living room. He’d been standing in front of a large front window that looked out into the clear summer evening, the view of the resort lights and the distant glimmer of the lake unimpeded by the open drapes.

  “What do you see out there?” she asked.

  He glanced down at her with a faint smile. “Peace.”

  Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she chuckled softly. “As opposed to in here?”

  Half turning away from the window, he glanced toward her family, who mingled through the kitchen and living room conducting low-voiced conversations, probably fretting about Lori. “They seem to have calmed down for the moment.”

  Hannah sighed. “Yeah, and I’m about to stir them up again.”

  He felt his left eyebrow rise. “You’re still going to tell them tonight? After all this?”

  “You’re still leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?”

  “I’m afraid so. I really have to.”

  “Then we should tell them tonight, so you can prepare your own parents.”