“He wants you to see it.”
Scott nodded with a smile as he set his bag by the stairs and followed him.
It was comfortable having Scott around as she started dinner and he played with the kids. He was a good role model and so good with them.
Dinner wasn’t fancy. Spaghetti and meatballs, but she’d made some garlic bread to appease the adults at the table.
After dinner it was time for a movie, which she and the kids sat and did every Friday night. Scott was right along for the ride, having changed out of his suit and into a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt which accentuated his very nice biceps. It was then she noticed he had a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve. She hadn’t noticed that when they’d gone swimming or even this morning when he was pressed up behind her.
“What is this?” She reached over and pushed up the sleeve.
He smiled shyly. “Tribute.”
The tattoo was very small, but it was a set of angel wings and the word mom.
She had to swallow back tears. The Kellers had a tattoo. Clara had hers on her wrist. The infinity symbol and the word family.
Victoria had lost her entire family. Her mother had died of cancer years ago and her father a few years later from complications with diabetes. Then her sister died in that horrible accident. She’d been alone for years and now here was this man…
She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, drawing him closer for a kiss.
“What was that for?”
“I really like you. I’m glad you’re here.”
There was a tingling in her body now and the movie they were watching couldn’t end fast enough. When it did she announced bed time and they didn’t even have to pick up their toys first. That at least made the walk up the stairs quicker.
She and Scott tucked in each of the kids, kissed them good night, and then headed for the bedroom.
The moment they both were in the room Victoria shut the door and turned the lock. This was it. She was moving on!
“What happened in here?” Scott asked as he turned toward the bathroom. “Oh, you had a leak. I can…”
He’d stopped talking just as she realized she hadn’t been back upstairs since she’d taken that test.
She hurried to the door and saw him holding the pregnancy test in his hand.
Her heart pounded hard in her chest and her head spun. She couldn’t read him. His face had gone pale and blank.
She watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed hard and then looked up at her.
“You’re pregnant?”
“I am?” That wasn’t really the response she’d meant to give.
“Is this yours?”
She licked her lips to moisten them as she thought of an answer. But she simply nodded.
“You’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me?”
“I bought the test on a whim. Something Sonia said the other day about me being sick…so I bought it. I took the test and forgot…”
“You’re pregnant?”
Victoria dropped her shoulders. “I guess I am.”
Scott ran his hand over his chin and she could hear the scratching of his stubble against his palm.
“This puts us in a very awkward situation. You and I haven’t had sex.”
Tears were stinging her eyes and she tried to bat them away.
She watched as Scott considered. “How far along do you think you are?”
Victoria balled her fists to her side to keep her hands from shaking. “About four weeks.”
The color in his face began to deepen. The darkness in his eyes did the same.
He lowered his head and looked at the stick again before looking back up at her. “The wedding?”
She nodded.
“We’ve been dating since then.”
She nodded again and now the tears streamed down her face.
Scott pursed his lips and she noticed there were tears in his eyes too. “Do I even have to ask whose baby this is?”
“Scott, I didn’t mean…it just…no,” she finally resigned and hung her head.
Scott shook his head and took a long deep breath before walking toward her. She lifted her head and he handed her the pregnancy test which boldly had printed on it PREGNANT.
“Here. You’re going to want to show this to the responsible party.”
He walked past her and unlocked the bedroom door.
Victoria turned and followed as he pulled open the door and headed down the stairs.
“Scott, I’m so sorry. You have no idea…”
“Save it. You’re going to need to keep your strength for your baby and the kids. Tell them I said goodbye.”
“Goodbye?”
He picked up his bag which still sat by the stairs. “Victoria, I don’t mind taking on the responsibility of others. I thought making a life with you and the kids would be fine. And under different circumstances I’d never have given another thought about taking on this baby, too. But knowing that commitment doesn’t mean anything to you and that this baby was conceived while we were together…well that’s a game changer. I don’t take to people who lie to me.”
He opened the door and walked away.
Chapter Thirteen
Victoria fell to the floor still gripping the pregnancy test in her hand. How could she have gotten pregnant? How could they not have even considered it?
She didn’t even bother to wipe at the tears that fell down her face.
How could her life have turned into such a disaster?
But that didn’t feel right? That wasn’t the right assessment of her life. She had lost a lot. That part was true, but she’d never ever give up on Sam and Ali. No, her life had just changed.
She ran her hand over her belly. And now there was this.
Lifting her hand to her lips she began to sob harder. There never had been a doubt in her mind that she’d carry Christian’s baby—if she had a baby at all. But this wasn’t the way she wanted to do it—alone.
What if he turned the baby away just as he had turned her and the kids away?
Her breathing eased when she thought about the Kellers and her tears began to dry. Christian might push her aside, but they wouldn’t. They took family very seriously. Again, she ran her hand over her stomach. Her baby would be okay. He or she would have a family that would help to take care of them.
She let out a breath. For now she’d wait it out and see what happened. After a doctor appointment to confirm, she’d decide how she would handle it. Chris was going to have to be told.
But for now, this was her secret. Even if she couldn’t have Christian, she’d have a part of him.
With that thought she forced herself up off the floor and back to her bedroom where she faced the mess of towels under the sink. Tomorrow she would call Clara and see if her Uncle John might have some time to look at it.
Under the circumstances, she was sure Scott wasn’t an option and she didn’t want to ask Christian. She wasn’t ready to see him—and, to be honest, he wasn’t too handy.
~*~
When Christian heard the front door slam he headed toward it to see who had just barged into his house. It wasn’t much of a surprise to find his sister standing there. He shook his head. When would he ever get privacy? First his brother busts through his office door and now his sister has done the same in his house.
“Now what?” He dropped his shoulders. It had been a long night and he didn’t want to be social.
“Are you any good at plumbing?”
He actually snorted a laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
“Really. I need a faucet fixed.”
“Then you call Uncle John, not me.”
Clara followed him back to the kitchen and stopped, resting her hands on the back of one of the chairs.
“It’s not for me. Tori just texted me and said she needed Uncle John to come fix her sink. I figured you should go.”
“I don’t think so.” He walked over to the dishwasher
he’d been unloading and continued to pull out warm, clean dishes.
“C’mon. Even if you can’t fix it, it’ll get you in the house.”
“She has company.”
“Oh.” She pulled out the chair and sat down, which wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her to go.
“If she needs something fixed she should ask Mr. Lexus to either get his nice manicure messed up or hire someone to do it.”
“How do you know he’s there?”
Christian set his jaw. “Because for two nights I’ve driven by,” he swallowed hard. “Multiple times.”
“You’re spying?”
“No. Just driving by.” He turned away from her and whispered, “At all times of the night.”
“You are spying.”
He turned back to her. “What does it matter? His car was at her house all night Thursday and was still there this morning when I went to work. And then last night at dinner time and at nine o’clock it was still there. I’ve been replaced.” Again he turned around. “And I don’t blame her.”
“I really thought after the wedding and lunch…”
“You thought wrong.”
She nodded and stood. “I’ll call Uncle John.”
“Good.”
“Chris, I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “I did this to myself. But the good news is I have a date tonight. So I’m not going to worry or think about Tori. She seems to be happy and she’s moved on.” Rather quickly after our night together. “She doesn’t need me crashing anymore lunch dates.”
~*~
It was just past one when Victoria answered the door to the handsome “Uncle John.”
“You got my message,” she said grinning as she pulled open the door.
“Honey, I’d fix anything you needed. I’m glad you thought of me. Retirement has me bored off my ass.”
She laughed. “I doubt that. I’ve seen what you’ve done to the theater in the past few years.”
“My wife and her projects.”
Victoria missed going to see productions at the theater John and his wife Arianna owned. She remembered seeing Clara there when she played Annie when she was little. She never would have thought then that she’d know that girl who had mesmerized her so much. And to think., she was a big country star now.
“So which sink is it?” John asked walking into the house with his tool box.
“The bathroom in my bedroom.” She pointed him up the stairs.
John began walking up the steps. “Where are the kids?”
“Napping.”
“I’ll be super quiet.”
She smiled hoping he might do just that.
When they walked into the bathroom he looked the sink over. “This shouldn’t take too long, but the tube to the shut off doesn’t look too good either. I’ll put a new one there too.”
“Thank you. Whatever you need to do I’m fine with. I’d rather stop the problem before it costs me so much more.”
“Smart girl.” He set his tool box down and looked up at her. “Are you feeling alright? You have dark circles under your eyes.”
Victoria kept a smile pressed on her lips. “I’m doing fine. Just a little something that’s going around I guess.”
He nodded at her. “You need rest.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Why isn’t that man of yours fixing this? Really, it’s not a tough job.”
The smile left and tears threatened. “Let’s just say, there isn’t a man right now. You’re it I’m afraid.”
“Well, sorry to hear things didn’t work out. But whenever you need me you just call.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“I’ll get to this. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”
Victoria walked out of the room as John got under the sink and began working on the tubing. She could hear all sorts of noise downstairs, but what she didn’t know was that he’d kicked over the trash can in the bathroom and found the pregnancy test she’d thrown there.
Chapter Fourteen
For the first time in weeks, Christian had a spring in his step. A new pair of jeans and a trendy new shirt, which made him look bad ass—at least that’s what he thought of it when he looked in the mirror. He’d dug out his old Rolex and even had on some sexy boxers—just in case. There was a woman out there that didn’t just want to let him in to push him away and he was going to take advantage of a nice evening with her. And, if she was willing, maybe breakfast too. He was tired of being the stand-up kind of guy. It hadn’t been working for him.
He picked up his keys, checked his wallet for necessities, and headed out the door ready to take his mind off—everything.
He started his car, found some good ole Hank Jr. on the XM Radio, and put the car in reverse.
A moment later he was damn glad that it was a newer car and had one of those backup systems to it, because the thing began to beep and scream at him, forcing him to slam on his brakes before he hit his Aunt’s car, which had just shown up behind him.
Christian slammed the car in park and jumped out to make sure he hadn’t actually hit her.
“Are you okay? Is everything okay?” He began his bombardment the moment Arianna stepped out of the car. “God, why did you pull up on me like that?”
“I need to talk to you.” She was out of breath and it was scaring him.
“Mom and Dad are okay right?”
She nodded. “I need to know if you’ve talked to Tori.”
His heart began racing uncomfortably and his stomach did some kind of dead-man’s flop. “No. Tell me she’s okay. There wasn’t some accident or anything was there? The kids? The kids are okay?” He couldn’t catch his breath fast enough to ask more questions.
Arianna put her hands on his shoulders to calm him. “She’s fine. Kiddo, she’s fine.”
He nodded and began sucking in as much air as he could.
“Listen, John went over to fix her sink. I just wondered if you’ve talked to her recently.”
He thought about the day he’d interrupted her lunch, but that’d been it. Besides that he’d just been a stalker-like creep and driven by her house to see Scott’s car parked there all night long.
“No.” He backed away from his aunt’s grasp and motioned to the car. “If she’s okay then I’m glad. I have a date with a red-head who seems to have been asking about me since the wedding. So if you don’t mind…”
“She broke up with that guy—I think.”
“You came over here to tell me that?” He shook his head. “She has made it very clear that she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I made a mistake once in the darkest time of my life and she’s made a point to remind me of that.”
“I think she could use your friendship right now.”
“I don’t want to show up there and say sorry you got dumped. I want to move on.”
He turned around and climbed back in his car, but his aunt stood there with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m telling you she needs someone right now.”
“How do you know this? Did she cry to John? Did she cry to you or Clara?”
She shook her head. “No. Just—will you go to her?”
“No.” He looked up at his aunt one more time. “I’m late. Will you please move your…”
“She’s pregnant.”
He was sure he could still hear the cars warning sound going off, but in fact it was the blood rushing through his head and his ears. He swallowed hard.
“She told you that?”
Arianna shook her head. “No, but John wouldn’t just gossip.”
“She told him that?”
Again Arianna shook her head and then walked closer to his car. “He found the positive test in the trash in her bathroom. And she’s been sick.”
He thought of how she looked when he’d seen her at the restaurant.
“Uncle John isn’t the kind of guy to get involved in things like this.”
“Not unless he care
s about someone. You may not be with her, but she was part of our family for a long time. I think it would be a nice gesture if you just went and checked up on her.”
“Because the big lawyer who swooped in, to make me look so bad, now looks just as bad. Get her pregnant and then run?”
“Christian…”
“I’m sure she’ll be okay. She has Sonia to cry to if she needs to. I have a date.” His phone buzzed. “And there she is, wondering where I am.”
Arianna stepped back from his car and he shut the door between them. He watched her get back into her car and back out of the driveway. A moment later he watched her drive away down the street.
When she was out of sight he backed out of the driveway too. His date lived east of Nashville.
He turned and went north—toward Tori’s house.
The steering wheel was slick under his hands which were moist with perspiration. The buttons on his shirt had become constricting and the car was slower than it should have been.
That Scott guy was a piece of work. How could he do something like that to her? How could he…
Quickly Christian rolled down his window. The air was too thick to breathe.
He realized he’d done nearly the same thing to her when her sister had died. Only there wasn’t nine months to get used to the idea of someone coming into your life. No, it was sudden and it was painful. She’d been physically a wreck after the accident, in and out of surgery. The kids had emotional issues that needed to be tended to, as well as her emotional issues. She’d lost what was left of her family that night—and she’d lost him.
He’d been so big on all the bad things happening in his life he pushed her away when she needed him the most—and now this.
As he sped down side streets and through major intersections, he thought about her. What had she been thinking? Why did she get pregnant? As if that was going to solidify Scott staying.
He grew angrier. He wanted to go to the man’s office or his house or his country club and punch him right in the jaw. How could he do something like this to Tori?
And then back again—the guilt balled in his stomach.
Who was he to rush in to the rescue? He was a hypocrite.
Home Run Page 9
