FRAUD: A Romantic Suspense Novel

by R. C. Stephens

“Is that what therapists do? They ask a string of whys?” I snickered.

  “I think so, but I’m asking because I’m truly interested.” He gave me a meaningful look and placed his arm on the back of the couch and shifted to look at me. “I like you,” he said easily. It reminded me of the last time he said that to me in the water after we windsurfed together that summer. Those words still made butterflies dance in my belly.

  “I know.” I grinned and I took a deep breath. Was it getting hot in here?

  He chuckled. “Ah! You’ve gotten cocky on me. I like it even better.” He winked.

  Feeling out of my element, I shifted a little and winced from some pain. Hayes’s laugh died down, and he gave me a somber look. “Is everything okay?” He stammered a little. “I mean with you. With your health?”

  Sigh.

  My attempt to derail his question hadn’t worked. “I-I have a little heart problem I was born with. It’s nothing major, but the doctor doesn’t want me exerting myself. The pregnancy is hard on a body as it is, and for some reason this pregnancy is harder on me than my last.” I muttered. It was a little TMI, but he looked truly concerned and I didn’t get into the part that I was spotting on top of everything else.

  “Can I get you something to eat or drink?” he asked with a crooked smile.

  “That would actually be great.” My face scrunched up a little. I was too exhausted to get my own food after having to walk down the street to get in here.

  “What would you like? Immy went overboard with food.” He stood and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his shorts. I was taken back by how comfortable I felt around him.

  “Whatever.” I shrugged. Everything Immy made was good.

  Before he walked off he asked, “How’s Lily by the way; I haven’t seen her yet?” He turned and scanned the room. She was probably outside with Lewis. It was hard keeping up with her these days.

  I smiled at the mention of my daughter. “She’s good. Growing. Can’t wait to be a big sister.” I rubbed my belly, and his eyes fell to my stomach.

  “I’ll bet.”

  He walked toward a table covered with food and I watched him. Immy’s house was a large bungalow. It was an open concept, so I could pretty much see everything from where I was seated. I saw Mark drinking a beer out back and chatting it up with some guys, maybe Shay’s friends from work. He must have been a few beers deep if he was being that friendly. Lily played on a play gym in the backyard. I worried she was thirsty or hungry. Mark wasn’t the type to check in on her in this situation.

  Hayes returned with a plate of food and a tall glass of water. “Hope this is okay.”

  I giggled. “That is a lot of food.”

  “You’re eating for two,” he answered, and his lip quirked slightly at the corner.

  I smiled stupidly at him. When had Mark ever said anything so sweet to me? I knew it didn’t matter if I was slim or had extra pounds on me. Mark was still the type to check out all the beautiful women in our vicinity. It was something that irked me. Especially when we’d be walking down the street as a family.

  I turned my head to check on Lily again. Hayes leaned over me to look. I noticed he didn’t miss a beat.

  “Does she need something? Just tell me, Natalia. Don’t be shy.” I’d forgotten I loved the way he said my name with that sexy accent of his. Having him this close also reminded me of that woodsy smell that stirred things inside me; it had been dormant a long time.

  “I’m worried it’s hot out there. She needs to eat and drink.” I winced.

  “Let me grab her and Lewis. I’ll feed them together.” He winked. It made me laugh inside that Hayes knew taking Lewis along would make it easier to feed Lily. He must have picked up on it the last time he was here. “What’s so funny?” he asked even though I didn’t think I laughed or even smiled.

  “Nothing.” I shook my head. “I thought it was nice you knew to take Lewis with Lily.”

  “Yes, I remembered those two were inseparable. I see that hasn’t changed.”

  “No. it hasn’t.”

  “I’ll fetch them then.” He pointed to the backyard.

  I nodded and watched him head toward the kids. From inside it looked like they didn’t want to leave the play gym. Then Hayes chased them both, and the three of them were laughing. When Lily came inside, she had a big smile on her face. She and Lewis took a seat at a little picnic bench Immy had set up in the family room.

  “Hi, Natalia, how are you?” Shay came over to say hello.

  “Oh! You know . . . pregnant. On bed rest.” My lips twisted.

  His lips pinched in a thoughtful way. “Immy told me. That can’t be easy. Let me know if you need anything,” he said just as Hayes walked in the room carrying two plates covered in fish and chips. “Ah! I see my wee cousin here has the kids covered. That’s my grandmother’s recipe.” Shay winked then gave Hayes a suspicious look. I wondered what it was about.

  “I’m not wee.” Hayes chided him, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing it out. He definitely wasn’t small.

  “No, I guess you aren’t anymore, are you?” Shay narrowed his eyes at him. “When are you going to play for us?” he asked Hayes. I wasn’t sure what the secretive looks were about.

  Lewis stood up and began jumping up and down. “Play. Play. I want to hear.”

  “Let the kids eat, and I’ll grab my guitar,” he said to Shay, shaking his head, his cheeks a little pink.

  Shay nodded. “I’ll go mingle. Haven’t seen Mark yet.” He winked and walked off. He was a kind man.

  Lily was starving and thirsty as I suspected. It was hard caring for her now that I couldn’t be on my feet for very long. With all the aches and pains of this pregnancy, I couldn’t do much, which made me feel helpless. Being here was a relief. Mark wasn’t much help at home because he was always working, and even when he was home he wasn’t one to help take care of the house and Lily. Lily was big enough to get in the bath now, but I still had to wash her hair at night. It was hard on my body; the pain was intense.

  A few minutes later Hayes returned with a guitar. “I’m sorry. Immy wants me to gather all the children and play for them,” he explained.

  “Don’t be sorry. Although I would have liked to hear you play.” I grinned at the thought of him playing a guitar. That would be so freaking sexy.

  “Can I convince you to come sit outside? They have a large tent set up. You can sit in the shade, and I’ll grab you a chair,” he offered, so sweet and considerate.

  How could I say no to him?

  He extended a hand to help me up.

  “No, I’m not giving you my hand,” I protested.

  That bought laughter.

  “It’s not funny, Hayes. I’m the size of a house.” This was embarrassing.

  “You’re perfect,” he answered. This boy. I hated what his words did to me.

  I relented, giving him my hand. He lifted me up easily, and I held my back and stomach since even small movements were sometimes painful.

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  As Hayes dropped my hand, Mark walked through the back door. His dark brows furrowed as he walked toward me.

  “What’s up, Nat?” he asked, but he was looking at Hayes.

  “I’m Hayes, Shay’s cousin. Nice to meet you.” Hayes extended his hand to Mark.

  “Yeah, Mark. Nice to meet you too.” It sounded more like a grunt. Mark got this way around my friends. When he was with his friends he was a different person. Light, friendly, talkative. Not here.

  “I should head outside.” Hayes went to the staircase where he left his guitar case. On the way back he took Lewis outside, and Lily followed.

  “You know him?” Mark asked with a hint of suspicion in his tone. He didn’t like when I spoke to other men. The only ones he didn’t mind were Shay and my girlfriends’ husbands. I never understood that. The only thing I came up with was he saw them as not my type. I’d been with my husband close to a decade, and I still couldn’t read
him. At the beginning of our relationship I thought he was an open book. I thought I knew him like the back of my own hand, but I slowly learned it was me who always shared of myself while Mark was closed off. What I originally interpreted as him being an open book was him being warm and cozy with the abundance of sex we had at the beginning. It took time for me to understand the difference between sex and intimacy.

  “There was nothing to mention.” I shrugged. “We should go outside and keep an eye on Lily. It’s getting dark.”

  Mark’s lips turned down and he followed me outside. We took a seat at a table with Belinda, Lance, Jane, and Scott. My friends as Mark liked to put it. Hayes took a chair to the other side of the patio and had a large circle of kids sitting in front of him. He strummed his guitar. Loose strands of hair fell on his face as he began to sing. I didn’t want to be captivated, but I was. Every move he made playing his guitar and that throaty sound that left his lips when he sang made me more in tune to him. Possibly more than the audience he had in front of him.

  “He’s good.” Belinda knocked my shoulder and smiled.

  Belinda’s husband Lance laughed at her. “I wonder what she would say if I said that about a woman.” He guffawed. Everyone at the table broke into laughter.

  “I’d kill you,” Belinda joked, rolling her eyes at him. I loved watching other couples. Their playful banter. I didn’t have that. I walked on eggshells around Mark.

  “And that’s why I keep my mouth shut, because I love you and I want to stick around.” He winked. Lance received a few aws from around the table, and he kissed his wife.

  Hayes finished his show as the sun was setting. Immy brought out the birthday cake for Lewis, and we all sang happy birthday and ate cake. By the time cake was gone, Lily came up to me and placed her head on my lap.

  “You tired?” I ran my fingers through her auburn hair, a mix of my light hair and Mark’s dark. She nodded and yawned. “Can you pick me up?” she asked with such a hopeful look in her eyes. I missed picking her up and cuddling her, but the doctor specifically warned me about lifting her.

  “You can hop on my lap, and we can cuddle,” I offered. She climbed on my lap and I wrapped my hands around her.

  “Am I having a birthday party too?” she asked, since it was her birthday next.

  “We’re just having a small party at home. It’s a little hard for mommy to make a party now with such a big belly. Did you want to invite Lewis over on your birthday?”

  Her eyes brightened and she nodded repeatedly, a yawn escaped her. I ran my fingers through her hair. Off in the distance I watched Mark speaking animatedly with a friend of Shay’s. He didn’t look familiar. I figured it must be a work friend.

  “You good?” Hayes’s voice pulled me from watching Mark.

  “I’m exhausted. Story of my life right now.” I gave him a small smile. “How long are you here for?” I asked. I don’t know why I asked but I did.

  “Just a few days. I don’t think I’ll be taking you windsurfing this time.” He smiled slyly and stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his Bermudas. He gave me a thoughtful look. I noticed his intense gaze always present, like a heaviness sitting inside him. I wanted to know what made him feel that way.

  “No.” I agreed about the windsurfing as I remembered the last time he was here. How happy I felt with him in the water. I had felt protected, cared for, we had easy conversation. Kind of like today.

  I liked it too much.

  “Immy starts working tomorrow. I guess lunch with the girls is off.” He joked.

  I laughed. It was nice to laugh. “Yeah, I guess lunch is off.”

  He nodded his head.

  “Hayes, there you are.” Shay’s mom, Nancy, came over. “Hi, Natalia. Good to see you.” She smiled and leaned down for some air kisses.

  “Hi, Nancy. Good to see you too.”

  “Looks like Lily had a fun time with Lewis,” she said, taking note of my very tired daughter resting in my arms.

  “She usually does. They are like two peas in a pod,” I answered.

  “I can see that. Sweet those two.” She placed a hand on Hayes’s shoulder. “Darling, would you mind helping out? Guests are starting to leave, and Immy and Shay have their hands full.”

  “Sure,” Hayes answered, but his gaze was trained on me.

  “Sorry, I wish I could help . . .” My voice trailed off as I answered Shay’s mom. My reasons obvious.

  “You just take it easy. Immy was telling me you were having a hard time. I’m sorry to hear that. You take care now.” She smiled at me and took Hayes away by the arm. I wasn’t sure, but I had the feeling she pulled him away from me.

  “Hey, babe, we’re going to stay and hangout with Immy. You know kind of like a last hoorah before she goes back to work. Hubbies are going to take the kids home and get them to bed.” Belinda smiled and winked.

  “Oh! Let me check with Mark.” I smiled. Mark didn’t put Lily to bed often. It happened once every few months. I wasn’t sure she’d want to go with him now.

  I got up and waddled over to Mark, who was in deep conversation with the same man I’d seen him talking to before.

  “Will, this is my wife, Nat,” he said, smiling to the man. I politely extended my hand to Will.

  “Nice to meet you, Nat.” He smiled at me then to Mark.

  “Sorry to interrupt, it’s just the girls are going to have a girls’ night here for Immy since she goes back to work this week. Would you mind taking Lily home to bed?” I bit down on my lip, because I hated asking my husband to do things. He always made me feel bad about it then reminded me of all the things he does as if I did nothing.

  “I’m kind of beat. I was hoping to go home and pass out. Besides I’ve had one too many beers,” he said as if it was no big deal. A burst of anger boiled inside me. Now that he mentioned it, I noticed the flush in his face. I couldn’t drive him home and expect him to take care of Lily.

  “Hey, mate. Why don’t I give you a ride home?” Shay suddenly materialized out of nowhere. “Lily can sleep over tonight. Lewis would be extremely happy to have her.” Shay smiled at me then looked to Mark expectantly. I could tell Mark didn’t like the offer. He didn’t like Shay butting into our life, but I didn’t give a shit. I was happy he had cut in, because I deserved a night with my closest friends. I hadn’t had one in a long time.

  “I don’t mean to cut in, but I’m leaving soon anyway. If you aren’t too far away I don’t mind giving you a ride,” Will, the guy Mark had been talking to, offered.

  “I’m close to 163rd. Does that work?” Mark asked.

  “I’m actually just past there, so yeah.” Will nodded.

  “Well then, it’s set. Thanks, mate.” Shay shook Will’s hand.

  Mark gave Shay a toothy smile, which I knew was bullshit. Who gets drunk at a four-year-old’s birthday party anyway?

  “Hey.” Immy walked over with Althea on her hip.

  “Lily is going to sleepover.” Shay updated his wife.

  “Sure, of course.” Immy looked to me and smiled. “You probably just made Lewis’s month.”

  “There’s my lovely granddaughter.” Shay’s mother came over. I was already holding my back, knowing I’d been on my feet longer than my doctor would have liked. “I heard your lady friends are throwing you a bash.” She winked at Immy. “Give me Althea. I’ll bathe her and put her to bed.” She smiled lovingly.

  My mother had never been doting like that. Even when she came over to visit Lily, she never offered to bathe or feed her.

  “Mum, would you mind taking Lily and Lewis too? I want to clean up a bit more,” Shay explained to his mother. Shit, he was a good husband. Mark never offered to help me clean after we entertained guests, even though we hadn’t had people over for more than a year.

  “Certainly, Luv. Lily is Lewis’s future wife.” She winked. “Don’t worry, luv, I’ll bathe Lily with Althea, not Lewis.” She bobbed her head at me and a warm bubble of laughter came up my throat.

>   “Thank you.” I sighed and felt the need to hold back tears. Damn pregnancy made me hormonal or maybe I was emotional because these people were just so kind.

  Lily went off with Shay’s mom after giving me a long hug. Mark leaned in to kiss my cheek before he left, and I walked over to the long table to take a seat with my girls.

  Chapter Eleven

  Hayes

  “Wipe that look off your face and help me with these bags, would you?” Shay asked. He could read how elevated my blood pressure must be from watching Natalia’s husband neglect her all evening. “Well, come on,” Shay urged, tilting his chin to the row of garbage bags lining the kitchen floor. He had just finished cleaning up all the paper plates and trash left around the house.

  I grabbed the three remaining garbage bags and followed him outside.

  “Why didn’t you tell me what an arsehole her husband is?” I chided Shay. I hadn’t exactly kept it a secret how I felt about Natalia, and to know her husband didn’t take care of her while on bedrest made me sick to my stomach. I’m sure it had something to do with my own father’s ill and neglectful treatment of Mum.

  “You know why . . . I don’t want you to sweep in and save the day,” he grunted as I followed him to the garage.

  We unloaded the bags. Laughter from the backyard floated our way. They were having some ladies’ night in honour of Immy or something.

  “She’s on bedrest, for Chrissake. She’s having a hard time, and he just goes off and what . . . gets drunk? It’s Lewis’s birthday party not some bachelor party or whatever.” I waved my hand frivously in the air and paced.

  “See”—Shay pointed to me—“this is why I told you to mind your own business, because you think you can save everyone in this world.” He shook his head, a fist poised on each side of his hips.

  “Is that a bad thing? I don’t like to see a woman treated like shite. Jesus, Shay.” I moved my head from side to side like him. My mum had put up with enough shite from my father. I was just a boy who wished I could have done more to help her. Maybe I could have saved her.

  “It’s not a bad thing, cousin, but it is a bad thing that you have feelings for a married woman. She is forbidden fruit. You shall not covet another man’s wife,” he implored.