Emma wouldn’t let go of Marti and Marti looked pleased to have his daughter in her arms, dirty or not. She didn’t look like she’d put her down willingly.
“What’s the matter, Shelly? Dinner didn’t come up quite so easily tonight?” Elizabeth asked.
Shelly frowned, looked from Elizabeth to Cameron and knew just what they were both thinking. She had to cover her tracks and get back in Cameron’s good graces. When she glanced at Emma in the woman’s arms, she had the most brilliant idea. She’d seen the way Cameron looked at the woman, and she wasn’t about to give up without a fight.
She turned to Elizabeth. “Is this how you treat all of your pregnant guests?” She locked eyes with Cameron, unable to hide her triumphant grin.
Brilliant, simply brilliant, she thought. “I didn’t want to tell you like this, but she’s making accusations. I won’t have you thinking the worst of me. Isn’t it wonderful, darling?”
Stunned at first, Elizabeth recovered. She looked pointedly at the martini glass, at Cameron, and back to Shelly. “Pregnant. Me too.” She smoothed her hand over her stomach. She’d actually given birth to her daughter, Grace, five months ago. “Darn, I’m not.”
She glared at Shelly and called her a liar. “Saying it doesn’t make it true.”
The woman had a lot of nerve saying she was pregnant and belting back martinis two days in a row. Elizabeth was furious.
Cameron’s faced changed from stunned back to distressed again. He ran his hand over the back of his neck and found himself at a loss for words. His daughter was right there in the thick of this mess. He was not having a good night. After tonight, he’d lost any chance of ever getting a “Parent of the Year” award.
If he thought himself a supreme jackass before, tonight he’d earned the crown.
Chapter Nine
* * *
MARTI LOOKED AT the empty martini glass in front of Shelly and the look of horror on Cameron’s face. She didn’t like the fact that he’d put this woman in his daughter’s life, but it wasn’t her child, or her life. None of her business.
“Cameron, may I speak with you a moment?” She cocked her head to indicate he follow her a few steps away from the group.
Cameron followed, because she held his daughter and Emma held tight with no indication of letting her go any time soon. Marti didn’t mind at all.
“Listen, you need a few minutes alone with her to work out . . . whatever. George appears to be a friend of yours.”
“He’s Daddy’s friend.”
“He’s like a grandfather to Emma,” Cameron confirmed.
“Great. Then you won’t mind letting her come and sit with us for a while. It’ll give you time to work out this mess.”
“Mess? She’s pregnant, drinking, and yelling at my kid,” he said irritably under his breath. “What makes you think this is a mess?” Cameron snapped at the woman who’d rescued his daughter and made him want to kiss her until he couldn’t breathe.
He rubbed his hand over his neck again, knowing she didn’t deserve his anger.
Marti sighed. She hated to get involved, but a child needed to be considered, and the man standing in front of her looked like he’d been swept under by a huge wave.
She felt for him. He needed a friend, and for Emma she’d stick her nose in his business.
“Look, I know you’re upset. You have every reason to be. I don’t have any business giving you advice or butting in, but for this little Sugar Bug I’m going to break my own rules and get involved.”
She took a breath and leaned into Cameron and lowered her voice. Emma held her tight around the neck and settled into her arms. “I was in the bathroom with her earlier. She didn’t know I was there. Let’s just say I got an earful about her feelings toward . . .” She nodded in Emma’s direction.
“That woman, in addition to not being fit to be a mother, has no desire to be a mother to this little girl, or any child. I don’t believe she’s pregnant, but you’ll have to confirm it yourself.”
She imagined what it must be like for him. He looked like a man trying hard to struggle out of a riptide, only to find himself drowning.
“Take it from someone who wants to be a mother more than anything: even if she is pregnant, she doesn’t want the baby. She doesn’t have it in her to be a mother.
“You’re obviously an important and wealthy man.” She looked at the little girl and covered her ear with her hand and whispered, “Don’t let her make a jackass out of you. She’s a liar and”—she looked at the girl again—“worse. She’ll ruin this little girl if you let her.”
Why did it piss him off to hear her echo his thoughts back at him. He was a jackass. He knew he was a jackass. He didn’t need her telling him too.
Don’t shoot the messenger. How many times had he told himself that in business? Make sure you aim at the person who deserves to be targeted.
Marti hadn’t done anything but tell him what he already knew and suspected. She’d heard Shelly saying something in the bathroom to make her believe Shelly was a liar—and worse, bad for his daughter.
He’d already figured it out himself when she’d yelled at Emma and went after her. No one spoke to his daughter that way. He didn’t care who they were, or what they said about being pregnant with his baby.
He rubbed the back of his neck. God, this woman was getting under his skin. The longer he watched her hugging and loving on his daughter, the more endearing she became. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Emma belonged to her.
Two dinners and Shelly hadn’t managed to get one tenth as close to Emma as Marti had by simply picking her up, giving her a pet name, and telling her a joke. A silly, stupid joke, but it had done the trick with Emma. Her smile returned and the innocence of childhood filled her eyes again. He owed Marti for that and more.
“Listen, I know you mean well and you have my daughter’s best interests at heart. I’m holding on to my temper and my sanity by a thread tonight. I appreciate what you did by stepping in and rescuing Emma. If nothing else, you made her feel better. I would appreciate it if you let Emma join you and Knight, while I try to wade through the muck my life is mired under.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck again. He wanted to say more. He wanted to keep her near and drink up all the good feelings inside him, watching her holding his daughter. He didn’t get the choice. Elizabeth came over to help with Emma.
“Marti, please, join George at your table. I’ll take Emma.”
Emma grabbed on tighter to Marti. “No. I’m going to sit with Marti and Knight.”
Cameron rubbed his hand from the top of his daughter’s head and down her back. “You promise to be a good girl.”
“I promise. Marti is nice.”
“You’re nice too, Sugar Bug. What were you making in the kitchen?”
“Pastries.”
“Yum.” Marti said with enthusiasm. “Elizabeth, Sugar Bug and I will have a pastry. Tonight, I’ll have dinner backwards. Dessert first, and then the main course.”
“You can’t. Daddy never lets me have dessert first.”
“Well, I heard you already had mashed potatoes and gravy. Sounds like you already ate dinner. I, on the other hand, have the ultimate reason for having dessert first.”
Marti really did get an earful in the bathroom. Damn. Shelly must have really let her true feelings show.
“What’s the reason?” Emma asked, very interested.
“I grew up into an adult and can do whatever I want. When you grow up, you can have dessert first.”
“No fair. I thought it would be something I could use to get dessert first.”
“You can use it. You just have to grow up first. And the only way to do that is . . .” Marti waited to see if the little girl finished the sentence.
“Eat my dinner first,” Emma said with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
“You, Sugar Bug, are a smart girl. Let’s eat. I’m starving, and poor George is waiting for us.”
Marti to
ok Emma to the nearby table and plopped her into a seat. She brushed Emma’s hair over her ear and smiled down at her. Emma’s smile notched up a few megawatts, making Cameron feel lighter.
“Too bad you didn’t meet her before the martini-swilling, bulimic, child-hating monster waiting at your table with a look of triumph and disgust that defies the human expression.”
“Rub it in, why don’t you.” Cameron put his arm around Elizabeth, needing her support.
“If she is pregnant, don’t marry her and make a bad situation worse. Sue her for custody once the baby is born. You shouldn’t have any problem getting a judge to see things your way. If she isn’t pregnant, and I don’t think she is, dump her and get Marti’s number from Knight. Emma loves her already.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” Not hard to miss the instant connection and bond his daughter had with Marti.
“Yes, and it should tell you something. Emma hasn’t had a single thing to say about Shelly. She doesn’t like her.
“Did you see Emma, Cameron? She ran right to Marti. She bypassed you and me and went right for Marti’s outstretched arms. There’s something special there. You saw it when she held Emma.”
“I did see it. Now tell me how to get out of this mess I’m in.”
“You made the mess, you’re going to have to clean it up. I’m still trying to get past the fact you slept with her. I thought you had better taste.”
“She looks like Caroline,” he said simply, knowing Elizabeth would understand. “Right up until she opens her mouth. I got caught up in my own twisted fantasy and things turned to shit.” He squeezed Elizabeth to his side. A good friend. Whatever he said to her, she wouldn’t hold it against him or throw it back in his face.
“Oh, Cameron. I had no idea. Caroline must have been a beautiful woman. Shelly is. But you’re right, it’s ruined when she opens her mouth.”
Elizabeth looked back at Marti and Emma. “On the other hand, Marti is gorgeous and she’s nice. I’d kill to have her hair color, all those shades of brown with streaks of gold. Did you see the color of her eyes? They remind me of Jenna’s. A soft jade green.”
If he closed his eyes, he pictured her in full detail. The fact that he couldn’t remember what Shelly looked like in his mind at the moment hit him right in the gut.
“She’s beautiful, all right.”
Pulled in one direction, he went in the other, back to his table.
Chapter Ten
* * *
“HOW ABOUT ANOTHER martini?” Elizabeth asked as she passed their table, getting in one more dig about her lying about being pregnant.
No self-respecting expectant mother would swill martinis night after night, Cameron thought. Shelly ignored the question. Nothing she said would overshadow her drinking multiple martinis over the last two days in his company.
Instead of answering Elizabeth, she turned her attention on him, went on the defensive, and lashed out. “Finished wagging your tongue over George’s mistress?”
Direct hit. He rolled the idea around in his mind, never expecting the outrageous statement. He refused to believe Marti was George’s mistress. He was in his seventies. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five, tops. Hell, she was too young for him, and he was only thirty-two.
“Let’s talk about this so-called pregnancy. You can’t really think I’d believe you’re pregnant. I used protection every time we were together.”
“Every time?” She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. The knowing grin made him think hard.
He used protection, but she remembered the first time he’d been out of control with wanting her and he hadn’t used anything. On the pill since sophomore year of high school, she’d just gone along, swept up by his enthusiasm and need for her. The office of the president of Merrick International had been a powerful aphrodisiac. How many million-dollar business deals were made in his office?
It hit Cameron like a sledgehammer over the head. The first night. He’d lost his head thinking Shelly was Caroline. Hungry for Caroline, he didn’t think to be cautious or careful with Shelly, and now he was going to be a father again with a woman he didn’t want around his daughter.
“What do you want, Shelly?”
She looked at him expectantly. “I want to be with you. We’re having a baby. I thought you’d be happy about it. You love Emma so much, and you’re a devoted father to her. You will be to our baby too.”
“First you’ll take a pregnancy test and prove you’re pregnant. Once done, and it’s positive, we can talk about the rest.”
He pinned her with his gaze. “And just so we understand each other about what I expect if you are carrying my child, you will not drink alcohol. You will take care of yourself and my baby. Are we clear?”
Shelly got the message loud and clear. My baby, indeed. She was going to get a marriage proposal and everything she’d ever wanted out of this baby. Their baby.
“Absolutely, darling. I wasn’t drinking to hurt the baby. I didn’t even truly figure out I’m pregnant until tonight.” She smiled at him and put her hand over his on the table. “You can’t really think I’m so terrible I’d put our baby in jeopardy.”
“Fine. Get the pregnancy test done. We’ll figure out the rest once there’s confirmation. I’ll pay for all the medical expenses.”
“Darling, surely you and I will be married. With a baby on the way, a man of your position and status would surely want to marry the mother of your child. You can’t possibly think to let this child be born out of wedlock. What would my parents say?” She tried to put the proper distress into her voice and hoped he heard her upset and worry.
“What would people you work and do business with think of such a thing?” Pushy, but she wanted to lay the groundwork. The sooner they were married, the better. The sooner she’d enjoy the benefits of being Mrs. Cameron Shaw.
“Like I said, we’ll talk about all that once the test comes back.”
“I’ll make an appointment as soon as I can get one. Won’t Emma be so happy to be a big sister?”
Just the right kind of statement Cameron would expect from a woman interested in being with him and having a family. Why didn’t it ring true?
Cameron didn’t know what to tell Emma. What do you say to a five-year-old when you screw up and ruin your life—and hers in the process?
He was supposed to be her role model, someone she could look up to. He’d let himself down, he’d let Caroline down, and, worst of all, he’d let her down. He’d screwed himself and Emma over a piece of ass who reminded him of a woman he’d never get over. Well, he’d tried to accept her death and not having her in his and Emma’s life anymore. Still, he’d never stop missing her.
Maybe it wasn’t her he wanted, but what they’d had together. They’d been close, in love, the best of friends, and so much more. They’d laughed and loved together. They’d grown together and been there for each other. He wanted the same now. Too late, and to his detriment—and Emma’s, he’d realized in the end—Shelly was just the image of Caroline. It wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted so much more.
The moment he realized his mistake, decided he wanted the relationship and companionship he’d shared with Caroline, who should pop into his head: Marti.
The entire time he’d sat with Shelly, across the room, his daughter laughed and giggled and had a great time with George and Marti. Emma hadn’t acted like that at dinner with him and Shelly. She wasn’t this animated when they had dinner with Knight twice a month. It was Marti who made the difference and brightened Emma’s world. The sound of her laughter rolled over him and renewed his resolve to spend more time with her.
“Let’s go fishing this weekend. Saturday. You have three days to get to the doctor and verify you’re pregnant. We’ll go fishing on my boat with Emma. If you’re pregnant.”
If I’m pregnant. You’ll see. “Sounds wonderful, darling. You know, it’s been a long day. I think it’s time to go home.” She pretended to yawn to prove her point. She wanted to g
et away from his scrutinizing glare. He wasn’t happy, and even more suspicious about her being pregnant. She’d have to be careful what she did and said from now on. Besides, she needed time to think this new part of her plan through.
“I remember Caroline could barely keep her eyes open some days when she was pregnant.”
He remembered so many things about her pregnancy. How he’d lay next to her in bed with his hand on her growing belly. She was green most mornings for the first three and half months. Right when she woke up, she’d dash into the bathroom and he’d find her lying on the rug. She was so happy after a week of waking up without ending up on the bathroom floor. The end of the pregnancy hadn’t been a picnic for her, but she was never down or wishing she weren’t pregnant. She’d often tell him there was nothing like knowing a little person was living inside of her.
Shelly watched the emotions play over Cameron’s face. She almost felt guilty. He’d lost his wife after she’d delivered Emma. She didn’t know the exact story, but Cameron’s face said it all. It hadn’t been a happy ending and Shelly could admit it was too bad. Cameron was a nice guy who didn’t deserve to have his wife die while bringing their child into the world.
Shelly could make Cameron happy and be a good wife. She wasn’t into the whole baby and mother thing, but she could certainly make a good impression at a dinner party and keep him happy in the bedroom.
Those were the kinds of things she was good at, or at least tried hard to be. She wasn’t invited to many business parties. The only ones she’d attended had been over the past month with Cameron. He seemed pleased with her at the end of the night. Though he’d never really said, they always ended up in bed.
More often than not, she got the feeling he liked her more for the way she looked, or rather her resemblance to his dead wife. They’d used each other for their own purposes.
She decided she’d take the next couple of weeks and really try to please him in every way. She’d get him to notice her. And while she did, she’d drive home her point. Getting married was the best idea.
The Right Bride: Book Three: The Hunted Series Page 5
