Now she was angry with herself for turning her cell phone on to check her messages. Andrew had asked her not to turn it on in the house. If she’d been respectful enough to listen to him, she wouldn’t be in Ryan’s car right now.
“Well? What were you doing there anyway? Why were you staying with those people?”
She pressed her lips firmly together and remained silent. She was angry with Ryan, but more than anything she was mad at herself.
“Answer me. I'll find out anyway even if I have to get the investigator on to it.”
“It's really none of your business and I'm not going to talk to you. Anyway where are you taking me?”
“Back to your parents’ house.”
“That’ll be a waste of time because they've kicked me out.”
“They’ve changed their minds now that they know the baby is mine. They are adamant that I shouldn’t go through with my wedding now with you having my baby.”
“My baby shouldn’t make any difference to you.”
“Legally, you’re wrong. I have just as much say about the baby as you do, and probably more so since I have more money to raise a child than you. Your parents think strongly that I should marry you.”
She shook her head. “That’ll never happen. Go and marry Prudence or Prunella or whatever her name is.”
“It’s just Prue.”
“Well go and marry Just Prue and leave me be.”
He scratched his chin. “Prue and I have talked about it and there’s every possibility she might be open to adopting the child.”
“Never in a million years would I allow that to happen.”
“My child is heir to a fortune. I’m not taking this lightly. I need a child to make my parents happy. They won’t care about the circumstances of the birth like your parents seem to.”
Her baby was just a tool for her parents and even for Ryan, but to the Stauffers her baby was someone to love and to care for, a gift from God, they said. That was something that Ryan and his family, and also her parents, knew nothing about.
As she was figuring out how to get away from her parents, she remembered that she’d left all the cash she’d stolen from them at the Stauffers’ house.
“Are you going to tell me how you knew those people? You seemed pretty friendly with them, answering their door as though you belonged there.”
She looked out the car window. His words were true; she did feel she belonged there more than any other place she’d lived.
“I have other means of finding out.”
Turning back to face him, she said, “They're just friends of mine.”
“I don't believe that and you know I'll find out sooner or later so you might as well tell me.”
“They let me stay there. I had a good friend called Simon who died and they are his family. They were letting me stay until the baby was born.”
“Simon? I think I remember you mentioning a Simon.”
She was surprised that he knew who Simon was. “And why are you suddenly getting married to someone I’ve never even heard of? Is she one of the women you were cheating on me with?”
“I told you. We never had an exclusive relationship.”
“You could have fooled me. Well, you obviously did fool me. I just assumed we did.”
“We never talked about it. You never asked me if we were exclusive.”
Bree put her hand up to put a stop to that topic. “Just don’t say any more about that. I suppose Prunella’s parents are rich? Richer than mine?”
“I told you it’s not Prunella and yes her parents are comfortable. Yes, far more comfortable than yours.”
“Ha! I knew it! You wouldn’t marry for something like love.”
“Don’t be so old-school, Bree. Love is a transitory thing; any intelligent person knows that. People fall in and out of love all the time. It’s not something that’s supposed to last, otherwise it would be a boring world.”
When he smiled at her she wished he wasn’t so handsome. Someone so horrible as he was didn’t deserve to look so good.
“I knew you’d have a grand scheme. I knew it as soon as I read the invitation. The worst thing is that I had anything to do with you in the first place.”
He laughed in a low mocking tone.
Bree closed her eyes and prayed to God to get her out of the mess she was in and to find wonderful parents for her baby. While she was at it, she prayed that Simon’s family would be comforted and wouldn’t be too upset by the way she’d deceived them.
Ryan made her jump when he said, “Here we are.”
The second she opened her eyes she saw her parents’ house.
Chapter 17
Let no man despise thy youth;
but be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in charity,
in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
* * *
Her mother came running out to meet them. “Bree, we were so worried about you.”
Bree stepped onto the pavement. “Mom, you and Dad kicked me out.”
“We were shocked, that’s all. Now we’ve had time to calm down and think things through we’re happy to be grandparents even though I’m far too young.” She giggled loudly, and then looked across at Ryan. “Bring her things in, will you, Ryan?”
“Yes, Judith.”
“Is Dad home?”
“No. He had an important meeting. I had to postpone some appointments to be here with you when you got here. Come into the house.”
They walked in the front door and Ryan followed.
“You knew I was coming? Are you in this with Ryan?”
“Ryan wants to marry you,” her mother whispered. “This will work out well if you just do what I tell you to do.”
Defeated, Bree slumped onto the leather couch in the living room and waited to see what Ryan and her mother would say to her. Her mother sat opposite her, and when Ryan sat beside her mother, they both stared at her.
“What?” Bree asked.
Her mother turned to Ryan. “Do you want to tell her?”
Bree sat forward. “Tell me what?”
“You and I are getting married, Bree.”
“What?” If Bree could’ve stood up quickly she would’ve. Her extra weight kept her rooted to the couch. “That’s not what you said in the car. What about Prudence?”
“I wasn’t serious about what I said in the car. I was just seeing how you’d react. The truth of everything is that Prue refused to marry me when she found out you were having my baby.”
“You’re not marrying her now?”
He shook his head.
“See, Bree? Everything is going to be perfect.”
“Isn’t that going to embarrass you, Mother? Everyone will know that Ryan was going to marry someone else, and he only wants to marry me now because of the baby.”
“That’ll be old news next week. People have short memories for that kind of thing. Anyway, you’ll marry Ryan as soon as you can.”
Bree pulled a face. Was this what God wanted for her and her baby? It was definitely not what she wanted.
“What do you say, Bree?” Ryan asked.
“I say no. That’s what I say.” Bree stood up and as soon as she did, her mother stood too.
“You’ll do what you’re told, young lady.”
“You can’t make me marry him. I’m going to my room.” As Bree hurried off to her room she wondered what they’d do now. Could they force her to marry him? She opened her bedroom door, stepped through and then locked it behind her. Adoption was her best choice, but that was awkward now that Ryan knew he was the father. Realistically she’d never be free of Ryan now that he knew about the baby.
And now that Ryan knew the whereabouts of the Stauffers’ house, the baby wouldn’t be safe there. She wanted to scream with frustration, but that would only bring her mother and Ryan running to her room. After she sat on her bed she thought of Andrew. He knew where she lived, so p
erhaps he would come and find her. That was what she wanted.
A loud knock sounded on her door. “Ryan’s gone. Let me in so we can talk.”
Bree opened the door.
“You should be nice to him. He’s the key to your future, and that kid of yours.”
“Your grandchild? Is that who you’re talking about?”
Her mother sat down on the bed and Bree sat down cross-legged.
“I know you’re upset with Ryan, but he’s your best chance out of this mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“I got myself into? I didn’t get pregnant alone.”
“All the same, he’s agreed to marry you. You loved him once; you told me that.”
“That was before I wised up to what he was like.”
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t expect your father and me to put up with a screaming baby in the house. Once you marry Ryan, you’ll have all the money in the world and you’ll be set for life.” Her mother’s face beamed with delight.
“And if I don’t?”
Her mother’s face darkened into a scowl. “If you don’t, then I don’t know what will become of you. You can’t stay here. Where did Ryan find you?”
“I was staying with some friends.”
She stood up. “I don’t see that you’ve got any other choice but to marry Ryan. He’s been good enough to offer to marry you and cancel his wedding to that other girl.”
“I’m not in love with him, Mom.”
“In your situation, love is the last thing you should be worried about. Your father will be home soon and he’ll tell you the same as I’m telling you.”
“It’s not what I want. Can’t you see that?”
“Do you even know what you want?”
Bree nodded. She wanted her baby to be raised by Simon’s parents, but she couldn’t tell her mother that. Her mother wouldn’t understand anything about Simon’s parents or about the Amish community. “What if I wanted to put the baby up for adoption?”
Horrified, her mother said, “There’s no way that Ryan would allow that to happen. You’d need his approval and he’d never give it.”
Bree knew her mother’s words were true, but they could never make her marry Ryan. She simply wouldn’t do it.
“He even talked about trying to get custody of the baby so he and Prue could raise it together.”
“He would’ve been joking about that. She called off the wedding when she learned of the baby. Do you know that he could file a suit against you as an unfit mother and gain custody? If he found you living in less than a perfect situation just now that could strengthen his case. Who were you staying with?”
“Just my friend’s family. They’re good people, and they live on a farm.”
“You can’t trust people like Ryan and his family and that’s why you have to be on their side. Marrying him is the only thing you can do if you ever want to have any say in your kid’s life.”
She stared into her mother’s eyes for a moment wondering if marrying Ryan was truly her only option.
“Now you stay in your room and think about it while I go down and order food so it’s here when your father gets home.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Her mother looked her up and down. “And when was your last doctor’s appointment?”
“I’m due for another visit.”
“I’ll phone and make an appointment for tomorrow.”
“I won’t get in at that short notice. I’ve got an appointment arranged for this Friday coming.”
“You won’t get in at short notice, but I will. I don’t want to wait for Friday. Bill’s a good friend don’t forget. Unless you changed doctors?”
Bree shook her head. “I haven’t.”
“Good. We agree on something at least.” Bree’s mother left her alone in the room.
Hoping that Andrew would come to save her, she walked to her bedroom window and looked out at the road. What would Andrew have thought when he arrived home to see his family so upset? No doubt Mrs. Stauffer would have a migraine over the stress and be bedridden for days. She hoped Andrew was able to help them get over their sadness.
A tiny part of Bree felt better to be home and glad that her mother was finally paying attention to her. But that wouldn’t have been the case if it hadn’t been Ryan’s baby.
What a mess she’d made of her life. Would she have to marry Ryan while forever thinking about Andrew? She tried to imagine a future where she could marry Andrew while giving Ryan limited access to the baby – maybe fortnightly visits, but in reality, it would never work.
She couldn’t get her mind off the Stauffer family. Perhaps she should write them a letter to apologize and explain her actions. That would be better than talking to them in person. She’d have trouble looking them in the eyes after she’d deceived them so cruelly.
Knowing her father was due home soon she went down to the living room to hear what he had to say about the whole thing.
She settled herself down with a cup of hot chocolate and had found some marshmallows to add to it. Thinking about Andrew, she sat herself on the couch waiting for her father and trying her best to ignore her mother who was sitting opposite flipping through a fashion magazine.
When her father eventually walked into the living room, he looked at Bree and a smile broke out onto his face. “Bree! Where have you been?”
It was such a fake response, as though he was genuinely pleased she was there.
“Well, you did tell me to leave, Father.”
He scoffed. “We were angry and surprised, that's all. We didn't really mean for you to leave.”
Bree knew that was not the case. They’d wanted her to go and the only reason they wanted her back home was so she could marry Ryan. Ryan must’ve convinced them that the baby was his. “Let’s cut through the nonsense, Dad. I'm only here because you and Mom are trying to make me marry Ryan. And it’s not going to happen.”
He fell into the couch next to Bree and stared at his wife. “You told me you had this all arranged.”
“It is. She doesn’t know what she wants. It’s her pregnancy hormones talking. She’ll come around and see this is the best thing for her and the only way out of the mess she’s gotten herself into.” Her mother stood up and looked at her watch. “Let’s go into the dining room; the dinner will be here soon.”
They all sat down at the dining table just as the doorbell rang.
“Right on time.” Mrs. Fortsworth headed to the door and minutes later came back with three large Styrofoam containers. “Help me put these onto plates, Bree.”
Even though the dinners looked like takeout in those containers, once they were placed onto fine china dinner plates they tasted like a meal from a fine restaurant, which was where the food had come from.
As Bree took the steak and vegetables and placed them on plates, her mother whispered, “Don’t say anything to aggravate your father. I’ve got him on board with you marrying Ryan, but he’s still angry that you’ve done this whole thing the wrong way around. You should’ve got married first.”
“Ah, a nice home cooked meal,” Bree said sarcastically when they were back at the dining room table about to eat.
“And that’s another thing. You should be grateful that you have food on the table. If it weren’t for your father and me working so hard you’d have nothing. You haven’t worked a day in your life …”
“I think she gets the idea,” her father said to silence his wife.
“I am grateful,” Bree said before she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks for her food.
“Are you feeling ill?” her mother asked.
Bree opened her eyes. “No! I was just taking a moment to appreciate the food.”
Her mother shook her head. Bree hadn’t been brave enough to tell her that she was thanking God for the food just as she was used to doing before every meal at the Stauffers’ house. She already missed the calm and serenity of the Stauffer household.
&nb
sp; “We’re going to the doctor tomorrow. I’m taking the day off so I can drive you there myself. I want to hear what he has to say. This baby is your ticket for your future with Ryan.”
“And what if I don’t want to have a future with him?”
Her father snarled. “You got yourself into this mess, young lady. This is the only answer. You liked him enough to get yourself pregnant, marrying him is the only option you’ve got.”
“You’re acting like it’s a bad thing, Bree. You probably couldn’t have worked this out better if you’d planned it. You’d nearly lost him to Prue.”
“She can have him.” Bree cut another piece of steak and chewed on it. Why was she getting all the blame, as if she got into this situation by herself? Granted, she was silly enough to think she was in love with Ryan, and to be silly enough to think that he loved her, but it took two to make her baby.
Her mother went on, “You’ll be set for life. He's worth millions. You’d be able to have anything you want. A home here, a chateau in France, a vineyard in Italy, an apartment in London, and all the handbags you like, and as many designer clothes as you want. The only thing is you must keep Ryan happy.”
“It’s his father’s money not his,” Bree corrected her mother.
“He’s the only heir and only son.”
Immediately, Bree was turned off her food. “That might be the kind of life that would suit you, Mother, but I’m different from you.”
“Stop talking to her, Judith. She’ll come around in time,” her father said.
Sighing loudly, Bree looked down into her plate. Why wasn’t the food horrible? She wanted it to be, but the steak was flavorsome and so tender. There was no use talking to her parents and telling them how she felt. She’d have to go with plan B. Only thing was she didn’t know what it was yet; she’d only had a plan A. Tonight she’d have to come up with plan B before she was forced into marrying Ryan. With no money behind her and nowhere to go, things were harder for her than they would’ve been for most people.
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