Baby, Our Baby!

by Patricia Thayer

The petite woman brushed her brown hair away from her face. “A little tender loving care doesn’t hurt, either.”

  Jake felt himself blush as he glanced at Ali.

  “Just be warned, Jake Hawkins,” Margo said softly. “I helped Ali pick up the pieces the last time you broke her heart. I won’t stand by and let you hurt her again.”

  Before Jake could defend himself, June entered the room to announce that dinner was ready.

  Ali took Joanie as Jake got his crutches and stood. For the first time in a very long time, she had to look up at him. He found he liked it. Although Ali was five-six, she barely reached his shoulders. She blushed, then smiled as if disconcerted. Her response gave him a sudden rush, making him feel ten feet tall.

  At the dinner table, they were seated together with Joanie’s high chair almost between them. Ray and LaVerne, Margo Wells and Scott Walker sat across the table. Cliff was at one end, and June took her place at the head of the table along with a huge turkey.

  Gran June stood up to make an announcement. “I think before we start this wonderful meal, we should thank the Lord for all the blessings we’ve received this past year.” She linked her hands with the people on either side of her, and everyone followed suit. They all bowed their heads.

  “Lord, we’d like to thank you today for family and friends. For the love in this room, especially for blessing us with Johanna June this year. And for seeing fit to heal Jake and bring him back to his family. Please keep Darcie safe in the big city. In your name we pray, Amen.”

  Jake squeezed Ali’s hand, reluctant to let go after the prayer. Their eyes met, and Jake promised himself that somehow he was going to make her realize that they needed to be together.

  Dinner was a noisy affair, but it was the most fun Jake had had in years. He’d never celebrated holidays like this as a kid. At his house, first came the alcohol, then the fights, and finally his father would storm off to the plant, leaving a child alone sharing dinner with the housekeeper.

  Joanie’s quiet chatter brought him back to the present. He smiled and she returned it with a toothy grin. He was a damn lucky man.

  After the meal ended, the ladies were dishing out the pies when a cell phone went off. Four people reached for their belts to discover that it was Cliff’s.

  “Please excuse me, June,” Cliff said.

  His father went into the kitchen. Jake felt his anger build. Damn his father. Nothing had changed.

  Jake remained silent when Cliff returned and began saying his goodbyes. His father kissed Joanie on the cheek and hugged Ali.

  Then the older Hawkins looked at Jake. “Son, I’m sorry, but I have to cut this short.”

  Jake got up and managed to follow his father to the door on his crutches. “Still the same old thing, huh, Dad? Work comes first, above all else.”

  “That’s not true, son,” Cliff denied. “It’s just that so much of business now is worldwide, and Thanksgiving is an American holiday.”

  “So tell them you’re unavailable on American holidays. Give them a damn list.”

  “Son, this is important, or I wouldn’t be leaving for this international call.”

  Jake gripped his crutches tightly. “It’s like always, Dad. Family never came first with you. Well, it’s different with me. My daughter is having her first Thanksgiving, and I intend to share every minute of it. I’m not going to miss my kid’s childhood like you did.” He turned and walked back to the dining room, ignoring his father’s pained expression.

  At nine o’clock that night, the good china had been washed and put away, and Joanie was sound asleep in her crib. Ali was tired also, but too restless to go to bed. She came downstairs to lock up and found Jake sitting on the floor in front of the hearth. He was leaning against the ottoman, and a fire was going, throwing off a golden glow in the otherwise dark room.

  “Jake, what are you doing sitting down there?”

  He didn’t turn around. “Just enjoying the end of a perfect day,” he said.

  Ali smiled to herself as she walked into the room to stand next to him. “That’s pretty high praise even for one of Gran June’s meals. I’ll have to tell her in the morning. After she said her goodbyes to Ray and LaVerne, she went up to bed.”

  Jake finally looked at her, his eyes dark…and way too seductive. “I wasn’t talking about the meal, Ali. It was you and Joanie who made the day perfect.”

  She had liked spending the day with Jake, too. He fit in so well. “It was nice, wasn’t it?”

  Jake patted the carpeted floor beside him. “Come and sit with me,” he coaxed. “With all the people around today, we haven’t had much of a chance to talk.”

  A warning went off in her head. Ali knew she’d be wise if she turned around and left—immediately. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  Jake took hold of her hand and, without much resistance from her, pulled Ali down beside him. “I only ask that you spend a little time with me.”

  Ali folded her legs next to her and stared into the fire. “We seem to get into trouble when we’re alone together.”

  He took her hand, and his fingers brushed across her knuckles, sending warm tingles up her arm. She drew a breath and caught a whiff of his cologne.

  “Trouble? A few kisses. Why should that matter?” he asked. “Unless there is something between us.”

  Ali wanted to deny his words, but knew she couldn’t. Her feelings for Jake were as strong as ever, but that didn’t mean she was going to just fall into his arms. “We have a daughter together, Jake.” She pulled her hand away. “I think that could cloud your judgment on your true feelings.”

  He sat up straighter, then reached over and touched her chin, making her look at him. “You do more than cloud my judgment. I could shock you with what I’m thinking. Things I want to do to you—with you. Things I fantasize you doing to me.”

  Ali felt the air leave her lungs.

  He leaned forward. His hand cupped her cheek. “Ah, Ali-cat. You don’t know how much I want to kiss you.” He lowered his head and placed his mouth on the side of her jaw. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. When Ali didn’t protest, he found her mouth, and nibbled on her lower lip until she gasped.

  “Tell me to stop, Ali, and I will. But I think you want this as much as I do. You like what is happening between us. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about me kissing you again.” He took more teasing bites, then finally covered her mouth in a hungry kiss.

  Ali melted into his arms as his mouth slanted over hers, devouring her like a man starved. His tongue demanded access, and she willingly opened to welcome him. In turn, she used her tongue to taste him, wanting to drive Jake a little crazy, too.

  He groaned and laid her back onto the floor. “Have mercy, woman. I’m a wounded man.”

  Like hell he was. “Just kiss me,” she demanded.

  He cupped her face in his hands and took her mouth in a searing kiss, followed by another and another. She couldn’t say how long the kisses went on—forever wouldn’t be nearly long enough for him to continue. They started out slow and easy, then became demanding as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, and she returned his fervor.

  Breathless, he pulled back and looked into her eyes once again. Ali could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

  He lowered his mouth to hers once more, and this time his hand moved to her breast. Ali moaned as he proceeded to tease her with slow, easy, butterfly kisses, then switched to deep, open-mouth kisses along her neck that proceeded to drive her to the edge. He didn’t stop there. He reached under her sweater and quickly opened the front clasp of her bra, allowing his hand to cover her breast.

  “Oh, Jake,” she breathed as she arched against him, asking for more, demanding more. “Don’t stop.”

  “I don’t plan to.” He pushed up her sweater and bared her breasts. “Damn, you’re so beautiful.” He reached out, caressed her gently, reverently, then bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth.

  Jake couldn
’t believe Ali’s reaction. With every touch, she went crazy with desire, and when she raised her hips and moved against his arousal, he almost exploded. He kissed her again, knowing he could never get enough of her. But if he didn’t stop now, he wouldn’t be able to.

  He broke off the kiss, but Ali had other ideas and continued to use her hands and mouth to drive him mad.

  “Ali, we have to stop.”

  “No.” She pressed herself against him, creating an ache inside him that was unbearable.

  “Ali, please. We can’t.”

  Finally she stopped and blinked her green eyes in confusion.

  He pulled her sweater back into place, unable to look at her hurt. “We were getting carried away.”

  Her hands covered her face. “Oh, God. I can’t believe I did this. I threw myself at you.”

  Jake took hold of her hand, and placed a kiss against the palm. “I believe we both caught fire, Ali. I only stopped so you wouldn’t…wouldn’t regret what was about to happen. It’s important that you trust me.”

  Her hand reached out and touched his jaw. “Oh, Jake. I do trust you.”

  “Don’t look at me like that, or all my good intentions will fly out the window.”

  Ali gave him an innocent smile. “Look how?”

  Jake groaned. “You’re a wicked woman,” he accused, and rolled onto his back, pulling Ali with him. He knew he should let her go, but he desperately needed her close to him.

  She raised her head and stared down at him, her elbow resting on his chest. “You forget, Hawk. You’re the one who persuaded me to sit with you.”

  “Like you resisted.”

  “I thought you said I could trust you.”

  He opened his mouth, but he had no argument. Only the truth. “Ali, when I’m with you, my control is nonexistent. If you only knew how much I want you…”

  Just then the phone rang, and Ali got up to answer it. Jake watched as she moved gracefully across the room. He still ached for her.

  Ali picked up the receiver. “Hello,” she said, then Jake watched as her smile disappeared before she turned away.

  Ali’s heart sank into her stomach as Darcie’s voice came over the line. “Happy Thanksgiving, sis.”

  “Hello, Darcie. Gran June expected to hear from you earlier.”

  “I tried, but I had dinner at my boss’s house, and I just couldn’t walk out to use my cell phone. Gran understands.”

  That was what Darcie had always counted on—Gran’s understanding.

  “I bet you had a houseful as usual,” Darcie said. “I missed everyone.”

  Ali’s back was to Jake, but she heard him struggle with his crutches to stand up. “Well, it was different this year with Joanie.”

  “I hope you’ll send me some more pictures. I’m still trying to figure out who she looks like. All that dark hair, and those eyes. She must take after her daddy.”

  Ali knew her sister was fishing for information, and not so subtly. But now was not the time to tell her about Jake. “She does,” was all she said.

  “I guess I need to come home to see for myself. And I will find out who Joanie’s father is, and when I do, I’ll give him a piece of my mind. Nobody leaves my sister and gets away—”

  “Let’s not worry about that, Darcie. Are you coming home for Christmas?” Ali interrupted, her hands trembling.

  “Things are too busy around here right now, so I can’t take any time off. I really love my career, Ali. I’m glad I listened to your advice.”

  Ali froze. “What advice?”

  “You told me to follow my heart. I did, and took off for New York. I can’t imagine being married and living on an army base.”

  Ali ached inside. Dear Lord. That had been innocent, loving advice between sisters. “I let you make your own decision, Darcie. You seemed so agitated after you and Jake had the fight.”

  Jake was standing behind her. He leaned forward and began to nibble on her neck. She gasped and moved away.

  “Is something wrong?” Darcie asked.

  “No, but I’ve got to go. I have to get up early tomorrow….”

  “Sorry I called so late. Ali?”

  “Yes.”

  “I heard that Jake was in an accident. Have you heard if he’s okay?”

  Ali closed her eyes and fought to draw a breath. “Yes, he’s okay. It was touch and go for awhile, but he’s doing fine now.”

  “Good. After everything that happened between us, I just couldn’t bring myself to call the hospital. I’ll probably always love Jake,” Darcie said wistfully. “Maybe at another time in our lives things would have worked out….”

  Ali was going to be sick. “Look, Darcie. I really have to go.”

  “I know, it’s late, but I miss our talks. I’m also sorry I wasn’t there for you, too, when you needed me.”

  “It’s okay. Look, I’ll call you the next time.”

  “Give everyone a kiss for me.”

  “Bye, Darcie.”

  “Bye, Ali.”

  Ali put the receiver back into the cradle, but didn’t look at Jake.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Ali nodded.

  “Why didn’t you tell Darcie I was here?”

  Ali swung around, her anger flaring. “Maybe because I didn’t want to hurt her. Darcie’s going to find out soon enough that I slept with her fiancé the day of her wedding.”

  With the help of his crutches, Jake came to her. “Give it a rest, Ali. Darcie walked out on me before you and I did anything. What happened between us had nothing to do with her.”

  “How can you say that, Jake? When she discovers you’re Joanie’s father, she’s going to feel betrayed.”

  “How can she feel betrayed when she walked out on me? Darcie has no claim on me. And I want us to be married. If we’re a family, there will be no questions or speculation about who I want.”

  But you don’t love me, Ali wanted to scream. Instead, she looked Jake in the eye. “The questions might stop, but how am I supposed to stop my guilt?”

  Chapter Eight

  On the first of December, Jake went back to the hospital for his scheduled checkup. The orthopedist, Dr. Rankin, removed Jake’s old cast, and after another series of X-rays, he replaced it with a fiberglass cast.

  “Ankle looks good, Jake,” the doctor said. “You’re healing nicely.”

  “Will I be able to walk normally?” Jake asked.

  Dr. Rankin sat down on the edge of his desk and folded his arms. “As Dr. Hostler explained to you, you’re going to need physical therapy. How much strength your leg and ankle will regain, we can’t say right now. A lot depends on you.”

  Jake stared down at the new cast, which fit his leg and foot like a high boot. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “Now I want you to use the crutches as much as possible. Try to keep the weight off your foot. And don’t overdo it the first week. If you’re good, I’ll let you use a cane after a few weeks.”

  Jake’s gaze shot up to the doctor. “Do you mean it?”

  Dr. Rankin nodded. “We’ll see how you’re getting along.”

  “What about physical therapy? When can I start?”

  “We’ll talk in a few weeks.” The doctor got up and escorted Jake out the door.

  Heading toward the elevator, Jake found his father waiting for him. Why wasn’t he surprised? Cliff had been showing up just about everywhere Jake was these days.

  “How’s it going, son?”

  “At least I can walk with this cast. In a few weeks, I get to start using a cane.”

  “Well, I have one that isn’t being used.” Cliff held out both free hands. “The hip is completely healed. My doctor says to avoid falling down dark stairwells and I should be fine.”

  “Congratulations,” Jake said enviously.

  “How ’bout I take you to lunch to celebrate?”

  Jake hesitated, and his father quickly rushed on to say, “We could grab a quick bite right here in the cafeteria.”


  “Okay,” Jake agreed. “There’s something I need to talk to you about anyway.”

  When they arrived in the cafeteria, Jake sat at a table in the corner, while Cliff went up to get their sandwiches and coffee. When he returned with the food, they concentrated on eating…in silence.

  It was Cliff who started the conversation. “Okay, what is it you wanted to ask me?”

  Jake didn’t want to ask his father anything, but he had no choice. “I need a job.”

  Cliff didn’t respond. He just waited for Jake to continue.

  “I’m going into the veterans hospital in Minneapolis next week to have them check my leg. I have no doubt that the army will give me a medical discharge.”

  “Won’t they at least wait until your cast is off?”

  “Technically, yes. And I could check into a military facility for months of rehab. But the outcome would be the same. I doubt I could pass a physical-agility test. My job depends on my strength.” Jake took a drink of his coffee. “Before I came home on leave, I’d been assigned to go overseas for two years. I can’t discuss the job, but it’s one I can’t do on a pair of crutches.”

  Cliff reached out and touched his son’s arm. “But you won’t be on crutches forever.”

  Jake was surprised by his father’s concern. “I’ve already talked to my commanding officer. Because of my accident, they had to replace me.” Jake shrugged as if he didn’t care, but he’d worked hard to build his career. “I could possibly stay in the service, but I’d be riding a desk for the rest of my time. That’s not for me. When my reenlistment comes up in six months, I’m not signing.” He met his father’s gaze. “Besides, I want out. I want to stay here with Joanie.”

  “And Ali?”

  Jake nodded. Even though Ali had been avoiding him the past week, he wasn’t giving up on her. He just had to have something to offer her. And the only option he had was going to work for his father.

  God. How he hated to ask his old man for a job. “I was wondering if there was anything for me…at the plant.”

  Cliff sat back with a sigh. “You have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say that.” He smiled. “I’ve wanted to bring you in as a partner since—”