The Baby Shower

by Tasha Blue et al.

  “He may be a slime ball,” said Al, giving Carlisle a scathing look, “but he has a point. How well do you really know this woman?” Before Derrick could reply he raised a hand, “I know, I know. I’ve seen her history and she seems like a perfectly decent woman, but she’s not like you Derrick. She hasn’t lived the same kind of life. We just don’t want to see you ending up in another messy divorce.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to marry her,” Derrick said through clenched teeth, “I just said that I want to see her. I want to make sure everything is going okay with the baby.” Why was he trying to appease them? They may control his image and his money, but it was his life dammit. He had gotten where he was on his own, based on his own merits. Didn’t he at least have the right to choose what women he saw? He realized with horror what a contrived joke his whole life had been. Gracie may have been the first real person he’d ever met.

  “We’ve been monitoring Ms. Johnston’s progress,” said Maxwell. “Everything is going fine. I assure you she and the baby are getting the best medical care available. There is absolutely no reason for you to try to contact her. It would only make matters worse.”

  “She needs to know that I care,” Derrick saw the troubled look his lawyer and agent exchanged and quickly added, “about the baby.”

  “I’m sorry, Derrick,” said Maxwell firmly, “I know I can’t stop you from doing what you want. You hired me for legal counsel so here it is: if you attempt to contact Ms. Johnston it could render your official agreement null and void. You have both signed very clear contracts, which state that neither you nor Ms. Johnston will attempt to contact one another after conception, aside from your retrieval of the child upon delivery. If you attempt to contact Ms. Johnston for any reason, and she takes exception to your visit she can legally file to have the contract annulled. That means that she still receives fifty percent of her fee and, more importantly, she does not have to surrender the child. I’m confident that over time we could win custody, but it wouldn’t be a pretty fight.”

  “And it would just about kill your reputation,” added Carlisle.

  “Gracie would never do that,” Derrick said. But it didn’t come out sounding as confident as he hoped. Could they be right? He didn’t give a damn about the money, but if there was a possibility he could lose his rights to the child…did he really want to risk it? He didn’t think Gracie could possibly be that vindictive. And he was almost certain she missed him as much as he did her. But…

  “Like I said,” Maxwell continued, “I can’t control what you do or don’t do. But I advise you against doing anything rash. And I will not disclose any information as to her whereabouts.”

  That was fine with Derrick. Gracie had told him enough about her hometown that a quick Internet search could find her easily. If he decided to go to her.

  Derrick’s decision was made for him by the ringing of his cell phone. He saw that it was the film’s director, Russell Gates, back in Australia. This was serious.

  “Excuse me,” Derrick said to the two men, “I have to take this. Hello?”

  “Derrick? Russ. I know I gave you the weekend, but we need you back here ASAP. Anicka’s walked off the set and nobody can find her. We may have to reshoot the whole thing.”

  “What…”

  “I’ll explain when you get here. Where are you now?”

  “LA, but…”

  “Good. Then we can expect to see you Monday. Bye Derrick.”

  Gates hung up before Derrick could protest further. It looked like he had no choice now. When the director called that meant everybody came running, even big stars. But Derrick had made up his mind: he would see Gracie the first opportunity he got, and the consequences be damned.

  Chapter Ten

  Gracie braced herself against the counter as another cramp ripped through her belly. She breathed deeply in and out as her relaxation coach had taught her until the pain subsided. Braxton Hicks contractions, she thought. Has to be. It’s too soon. She wasn’t due for another two weeks. Everything with her pregnancy had been going along exactly as it should. She hadn’t even suffered morning sickness. With regular jogging she’d even been able to keep her figure (aside, of course, from the bulging round ball she carried up front). Nana declared that Johnston’s were made for making babies; it was in their genes. There was only one thing that made the pregnancy less than perfect: no loving partner to support her through it all.

  In the past eight months Gracie hadn’t heard a single word from Derrick. He hadn’t attempted to call or visit her, and her queries to the law firm only revealed that he was “very busy with his current film.” Busy with his current film or his current wife? Gracie wondered bitterly. She still couldn’t completely believe that Derrick would just blow her off, even for Anicka. Of course, she had told him not to contact her, so this could all be her own fault. Would Derrick really respect her wishes to that extreme? She knew that contractually they were bound to not have any contact with one another. The mission was accomplished, the baby was made; legally Derrick couldn’t see her until after he or she was born.

  The first few weeks Gracie had been devastated. She arrived back in Carolina earlier than expected and closeted herself in her house, not telling anyone she was home for almost a week. For most of that time she cried, slept, and stared numbly at meaningless trash on a television screen. She was strong, came from a stock of tough-willed baby-bearing Johnstons, but even strong women broke sometimes. Without Derrick she felt like something was missing. She kept wishing she could talk to him about her problems, have him hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay. But then she remembered that Derrick was her problem and she was in this alone.

  Eventually she realized how silly she was being. She wasn’t some weepy Southern belle, she was a resilient, intelligent woman and she would be damned if she would let a man get to her; even if she did happen to be carrying that man’s baby. This had been the plan all along, she was never supposed to fall in love with Derrick. And besides, that hadn’t been real (or so she told herself), it was just a silly school girl crush on a movie star. She would focus on herself and the baby and in nine months she would pass him or her off to Derrick and walk away one million dollars richer.

  With persistent inner pep talks (Derrick does not love you, it was never meant to be, you have nothing in common) she was able to push through. She went back to normal life, or at least as normal as life could be with a new life growing inside you. At work and at her various extra-curricular activities she told people that she was carrying the child as a surrogate for a wealthy family in Virginia who were unable to have children. The explanation was part true, and she really didn’t give two cents if they believed her or not. No one would question it, at least not to her face. Only Becca knew the real truth and on this matter, surprisingly, she kept her lips sealed.

  As her belly grew and memories of Derrick began to fade (or so she insisted to herself) another problem arose. She was starting to get attached to the unborn child inside her. Already she loved it with an animal-like ferocity, even though it was no more than the size of a cantaloupe. She knew that she would do anything to keep it safe and began to fear that she might not be able to give it up when the time came. But that was just another item she would have to add to her daily pep talks. You and Derrick are not meant to be together and this baby belongs to him, not you.

  Today, standing behind the long Formica diner counter with the glaring fluorescent lights making her feel more than a little dizzy, Gracie again worried for the safety of her (Derrick’s) child. Something wasn’t right. She’d had pains before, and they’d become more persistent as the days went by, but this was different. This felt almost like…labor. Of course, Gracie had never been in labor before so she couldn’t know a contraction from a gas bubble but something was telling her it was time. She gripped the counter top hard enough to crack when another cramp tore through her.

  Nana looked up from the bin of chicken she was preparing for the de
ep fryer, a look of concern wrinkling her already wrinkled face. “Honey, what is it? You’re white as a ghost.”

  “Just a little cramp,” said Gracie, trying to brush it off. But this little cramp had sunk its teeth and was hanging on.

  Nana studied her for a moment, flour-covered hands on her ample hips. Finally she shook her head. “Uh uh. That ain’t no cramp. It’s time, honey.”

  “But it’s two weeks early, Nana.”

  “Honey, that baby don’t care about the calendar! When he says it’s time, it’s time.”

  Gracie smiled, despite the pain. “You keep calling it he.”

  “Trust me, I know these things.”

  Gracie had opted not to find out the gender. After all, it shouldn’t matter to her. It would just be another thing to get needlessly excited about, thinking about names and baby clothes. As the pain began to subside a thought struck her.

  “Nana, in all these months you never once asked me who the baby’s father is. That’s not like you at all. Usually you have to be the first to know everything in this town.”

  “Oh child, I know who the baby’s father is!”

  “You do?”

  “Of course I do. It’s Mr. Derrick Stone.”

  “But how could you possibly…”

  “How do you think you got that application in the first place? It’s not like you were making any effort to give me any great grandchildren on your own, so I had to get things moving. I made a call to a friend, and we both knew for sure he would pick you.”

  Gracie was still confused. A friend? “But Nana, if you knew about the application, then you must also know that I don’t get to keep the baby.”

  “Oh hush. Now I won’t hear another word about it. We need to get you to the hospital.”

  *

  The hospital was as small as Derrick had expected and he easily found his way to the maternity ward. His head was spinning with fear and excitement as he approached the corridor. Things had gotten crazy with the filming and it was months before he found the opportunity to slip away to find Gracie. Anicka - who had never bothered to read the entire script - was infuriated to find that her character’s face would be badly deformed in a grass hut fire. Though the film’s hero still found it in his heart to love her despite her newly hideous visage, Anicka refused to be made ugly for the sake of the film. She insisted that Gates rewrite the ending, and Gates insisted that she carry her arrogant behind off his set. They’d had to recast the role and reshoot all of Anicka’s scenes. With Anicka no longer cast as Derrick’s love interest, their reunion charade was allowed to slip to the wayside, much to Derrick’s relief.

  It had been almost four months since Derrick’s visit to LA, but his feelings hadn’t changed. He still thought of Gracie constantly and wondered about the child. Their child. When he could take it no more he flew back to the states to see how Gracie was doing. Arriving at her Nana’s diner he was alarmed to find that Gracie had been rushed to the hospital. It couldn’t be time for the baby already, could it?

  When he arrived in the hallway he was surprised to find an elderly black woman with silver white hair and a round middle blocking his way. “Well it’s about time you showed up,” she exclaimed.

  “Excuse me? Do I know you?”

  “Oh I know you Mr. Derrick Stone and I think it’s a downright shame that you waited until now to show your face. Gracie moped around for months over your sorry butt.” The woman softened a bit, approaching Derrick with arms outstretched. “But at least you’re here now. I knew you would be.”

  The woman threw her arms around Derrick and nearly choked him with a tight hug. He hugged her back reflexively. “Are you Gracie’s Nana?”

  “Darn right I am, child.”

  “How did you know that I was the father? Did Gracie tell you?”

  “Gracie didn’t tell me. She kept her mouth shut, just like the contract said. But I’ve got my sources.” When Derrick gave her a confused look she laughed heartily. “Gladys Crawford, your house woman, she and I go way back. When she told me you were looking for a mama for that baby I said that Gracie would be perfect. And I knew you would fall for her, we both did, from that first time she came to your ranch.”

  Derrick hadn’t even known he’d fallen for Gracie back at the ranch. But it was true. Even after all these months he was head over heels for her, he couldn’t deny it any longer. “How did you know?” he asked.

  “Oh nanas know these things, child. Actually, you can make that great-Nana now.”

  “Do you mean…”

  Nana laughed again. “Go on in. Just you don’t disappoint me now!”

  Derrick rushed into Gracie’s room to find her sitting up in bed, a perfect little caramel-colored baby nestled against her breast. The sight took his breath away, and he simply stood in the doorway and stared at her. She was just as beautiful as ever, a flush on her face and her hair slicked back with sweat. She looked up at him with both joy and sorrow in her eyes.

  “It’s a boy,” she said.

  “A boy,” he repeated, overcome with happiness.

  Gracie couldn’t read his silence. Though she had hoped foolishly that he would arrive at the last minute to profess his love to her, she knew that it was just wishful thinking. “He came two weeks early. But the doctor says he’s perfectly healthy. I guess he just couldn’t wait to meet the world. Nana says my dad was born early, too.”

  Derrick approached the bed. “May I…may I hold him?”

  For a moment Gracie looked as though she wouldn’t give the child up. She clutched him hard to her chest before sighing and holding him up to Derrick.

  “Mind his head,” she said. Her eyes misted over with tears.

  Derrick held the baby close as tears began to prick the corners of his own eyes. This perfect little human being was his. Through their passion, he and Gracie had made him together. He had Gracie’s long dark lashes, but Derrick could see the boy had the Stone nose and jaw line. He was going to be quite the looker. Derrick smiled down at the baby as visions of the future flashed through his head. Teaching his boy to ride on Benny’s pony, teaching him to shoot and to sail, showing him the ocean for the first time, and camping with him in the mountains. He never knew he could feel this much love, and he wondered if it would have been the same if it was any woman other than Gracie. He leaned down and gently kissed the baby on the forehead before handing him back to Gracie. She seemed relieved to be holding him again.

  Derrick reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rolled sleeve of papers. It was the contract that both he and Gracie had signed all those months ago. It said that they would conceive a child, that she would bear it, and that he would take it to raise as his own. But the contract never said anything about falling in love. He held up the papers so Gracie could see what it was. She lowered her head, a tear falling from her eye and landing on the baby’s head. Slowly he ripped it in half and tossed it to the floor.

  Gracie gasped. “What are you doing?”

  “Listen to me, Gracie,” said Derrick urgently. “I don’t want to give you a million dollars.”

  “I don’t care about the…”

  “I want to give you so much more. Everything I have. I couldn’t get you out of my head for months. Everyone told me that I shouldn’t try to see you. You even said I shouldn’t try to contact you. But I couldn’t do it. When I’m not around you I feel like part of me is missing, like I’m only half there.”

  “But what about Anicka? She said you two were getting remarried.”

  “She said that? That miserable…” Derrick barked a rueful laugh. “The night you left Miami, she and my agent and I met. They thought it would be good publicity to pretend that we were getting back together. I wanted to talk to you about it, but when I got up the next morning you were gone. Trust me, there hasn’t been anything going on between me and Anicka in years. And anyway, that whole stupid sham is over with. I only have eyes for one woman.” He sat on the edge of Gracie’s bed and took her hand in his
. “I know that sounds crazy…”

  “It’s not crazy,” Gracie whispered. How could she tell him she’d been feeling the exact same way?

  “...But holding that little boy, I feel like I couldn’t love anyone more in the whole world. But there is one person I love just as much: you, Gracie.”

  “I love you too,” Gracie choked through her tears.

  “You do?”

  “Yes, I do.” She laughed. “Do you know how many months I’ve been trying to deny that to myself?”

  “Probably as many as I have. And I don’t want to ever deny it again. I want to tell the world. I love you and I already love the heck out of that little boy. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving both of you. Gracie, will you marry me?”

  Gracie was silent, a small smile playing on her lips, until Derrick thought he might explode with anticipation. Finally she said, “Under one condition.”

  “What?” asked Derrick, his heart in his throat.

  “We get started as soon as possible on making a sister for this little guy.”

  Derrick laughed as he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss lingered, making up for all the months they had spent apart. It was just as passionate as their first kiss, and in his soul Derrick knew he could look forward to many more to come. “That, my dear, is one condition that I will be more than happy to meet.”

  THE END

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  Book3

  THE TYCOON'S

  CONVENIENT BABY

  CHERRY KAY

  Summary

  In A World Where Babies Mean Business....

  Billionaire Media Tycoon David is in BIG trouble. A dark rumor is threatening to destroy his public image and potentially ruin the empire he built from scratch and he will do anything to change that.