Rebecca's Little Secret: Children Of Texas

by Judy Christenberry

  She was wearing slacks and a shirt. “I’m not dressed to go out, Jeff. I could change—”

  “No, Chelsea, we won’t get out of the car. But this is important. Please.”

  She gave him a curious look. “All right. Let me tell Mother.”

  She came back several minutes later. “Sorry. She had to lecture me about going out like this,” she said with a smile.

  For the first time, Jeff considered what kind of parent Chelsea would be. He could picture Joey in a proper suit, standing rigidly at attention. And being seriously unhappy.

  He shoved that thought away and led Chelsea to his BMW. He drove to a nearby park, pulled into a free space, then rolled down the windows and turned off the motor. It was a mild fall day, not too hot as long as there was a breeze.

  “Okay, what happened today? Is it good? Did you get a new client?” Chelsea asked.

  “It’s more personal than that. It’s rather complicated as well. Rebecca—Rebecca told me that she was pregnant when I left Arkansas. She has been raising my son alone since his birth.”

  “And she didn’t tell you? Well, I think you’ve got a good case to get out of paying child support.” Chelsea was looking at her nails, as if trying to decide if she liked the color.

  “I have no intention of avoiding child support payments. He’s my son.”

  “Are you sure? I think you should have a paternity test done. She could’ve gotten knocked up by some jerk who ran off and she sees an opportunity to get some money.”

  “Chelsea, how could you be so cold? Rebecca’s not like that!” Jeff snapped.

  “Jeff, you haven’t seen her in five years. She may have changed.” She looked up at him. “Right?”

  “It’s possible, I guess.”

  “So get the test.”

  “When you meet him, you’ll understand why that isn’t necessary.”

  She gave him a droll look. “We’ll see.”

  “Yes, you will. Tonight. I invited Joey and Rebecca to join us for dinner tonight.”

  Before he could continue, Chelsea protested. “Jeff, I’m not sure that a five-star French restaurant allows children. And even if they do, a little boy won’t like it.”

  “I know. So we’re going to McDonald’s.”

  “You must be kidding. No one goes to McDonald’s.”

  “People with children go to McDonald’s. And I now have a child. I’m trying to be as honest as I can be, Chelsea. Joey is going to be a part of my life. I want him to be a part of your life, too.”

  “A little boy? How old is he?”

  “He’s almost four. He’s in preschool.”

  “So we’re talking visitation for an occasional weekend?”

  Jeff sank his teeth into his bottom lip. “Maybe more than that. I’m not sure right now. Let’s just take it one step at a time. We’ll go to McDonald’s and—”

  “I don’t want to go to McDonald’s. I’ll eat at home.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.

  “It’s your choice. But Rebecca is coming with us, and you know how the gossips are.” He shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re with me, nobody will think anything of it.”

  He let his words settle into her head. Then he said, “But it’s up to you, Chelsea. I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”

  She glared at him. “I’ll go, but you’re going to owe me big time, Jeff Jacobs.”

  They drove to Chelsea’s home in silence. It was wrong to compare Rebecca and Chelsea. They were two completely different people. And Rebecca had had time to get used to having a child. He couldn’t imagine Chelsea pregnant or even having children, now that he thought about it. In fact, he couldn’t believe the subject never came up before. And he needed to change that. Just before she got out of the car, he asked, “How many children do you want us to have?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it. But certainly none anytime soon. I want us to travel and to have fun together, just the two of us. Maybe we could have one child when I’m in my mid-thirties. That’s still safe. But I don’t think I’d want more than one.”

  She leaned over and kissed him before she got out of the car and went into the house.

  Jeff couldn’t believe how many momentous revelations had been brought to his attention today. How could he have proposed to Chelsea without ever asking her about children? He wanted children. More than one child. He’d been an only child and he’d hated it. It was lonely, and there was too much responsibility and burden to carry for one person, so much pressure and nobody to share it with.

  Chelsea was one of two children. It had occurred to Jeff that her brother had been an accident, since there were seven years between them. But he hadn’t asked. Maybe he didn’t want to know…or maybe he was afraid of Chelsea’s response.

  REBECCA HAD SPENT THE afternoon talking to Joey about stepmothers and the advantage of having a father. By dinnertime, she’d made some progress, but not much.

  Rebecca dressed in jeans and a cotton sweater, along with athletic shoes, then made sure her son was in clean clothes. She’d combed his hair, but it didn’t behave very well. To her he looked adorable. She hoped Chelsea would think so.

  She’d called Jeff and told him they would meet him at the fast-food restaurant since he had to pick up Chelsea. He reluctantly agreed. Rebecca and Joey arrived five minutes early. She ordered and paid for their food, so there would be no awkward confrontation later. They found a table for four and settled in on one side of the table. Joey wanted to open his meal at once, but Rebecca insisted he wait for the others to arrive and order their food.

  When Jeff and Chelsea came in, Rebecca waved to them. Either she was severely underdressed or Chelsea was overdressed with her pink sleeveless top that didn’t quite reach her waist and a skirt that flared around her thighs. Rebecca guessed that the top was made of cashmere, which made it very expensive, and out of place for this type of restaurant.

  Jeff frowned when he saw they already had their food. Chelsea sat down at the table, and he asked her what she wanted. She asked for the kids’ meal.

  “Goody!” Joey exclaimed. “Can I have your toy if you don’t want it?”

  “Chelsea, I should introduce you to Joey, my son, who has already asked for your toy. If you want to keep it, please do so.” Rebecca gave her son a reproving look.

  “Mommy! She wouldn’t want a toy soldier!”

  “She might, Joey, and I’ve told you it’s not nice to ask for something.”

  Joey ducked his head and muttered, “Okay.”

  Jeff promised to be right back and went to purchase their food. Rebecca tried to make conversation with Chelsea, but it was forced and awkward. They were all relieved when Jeff returned.

  “Here’s your meal,” he told Chelsea as he sat the box in front of her. He had gotten a cheeseburger and fries for himself.

  Rebecca told Joey he finally could open his box and begin eating.

  He opened his box, but his interest was fixed on what toy he’d received. “Oh. I got the green soldier.” Disappointment filled his voice.

  “What’s wrong with the green soldier?” Jeff asked.

  “I already have three green soldiers, but I wanted a blue soldier.”

  Chelsea looked up after opening her box. “I have a blue soldier.” Her voice was offhand.

  Joey looked at his mother, but she shook her head no.

  After a minute, when Chelsea had begun eating her hamburger, Joey said politely, “I’ll trade soldiers with you, if you want.”

  Chelsea looked at Jeff, who nodded yes. She still hesitated a minute. Then she said, “You can have it.”

  Joey was thrilled. “Thank you!” he exclaimed.

  Joey immediately began playing with the two soldiers. Rebecca had to remind him to eat his dinner, and the boy reluctantly took a bite of his hamburger. Jeff began asking him questions about what he liked to do, which also kept Joey busy.

  Rebecca continued to try to make conversat
ion with Chelsea while they ate, since she showed no interest in Jeff’s conversation with Joey. “Did you attend Southern Methodist University?” Rebecca asked.

  “No. I went to Stanford,” Chelsea said, naming a highly ranked college in California.

  “Oh. I’ve heard it’s hard to get into Stanford.”

  “Not when my father went there and has contributed a lot of money to their building funds.”

  “How nice,” Rebecca said. She couldn’t think of any other comment.

  “I majored in French Literature,” Chelsea added.

  “What kind of job can you get with that major?” Rebecca asked, truly curious about the practical application of her major.

  Chelsea, however, appeared affronted. “A job? You think I’ll be looking for a job? I’m marrying Jeff.”

  “Oh, of course,” Rebecca agreed.

  “Mommy! Look, there’s Derek!” Joey squealed, jumping to his feet in his chair and knocking over his soda, splashing it all over Chelsea.

  Chapter Three

  “Oh, Joey, no!” Rebecca said, but it was too late to undo what Joey’s excitement had done. “I’m so sorry, Chelsea,” she hurriedly said, and began handing her all the napkins she had. “Joey, you need to apologize to Chelsea.”

  “I’m sorry. Mommy, can I go play with Derek?”

  “No. Go get some more napkins for Chelsea,” Rebecca ordered.

  “More napkins won’t help!” Chelsea snapped. “Look what he’s done! My outfit is ruined and this is the first time I’ve worn it!”

  “I’ll pay to have it cleaned, Chelsea. Perhaps the cleaners can repair the damage,” Rebecca said, hoping to satisfy Chelsea.

  “I’m not sure they can do any good.”

  Joey returned with more napkins. “Here, Chelsea. I’m sorry I spilled my drink,” Joey said, showing true contrition.

  “You need to be more careful,” she said, standing and backing away from him.

  Jeff spoke for the first time. “I’d better take Chelsea home.”

  Rebecca nodded, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from responding to Chelsea’s lack of understanding, and noting that Jeff didn’t really stand up for his son or acknowledge that it was an accident.

  Jeff rubbed Joey’s hair and said, “I’ll see you soon, Joey, okay?”

  Joey nodded, but his gaze went to his mother, as if he wasn’t sure that was a good idea.

  Rebecca could understand her son’s hesitation if seeing Jeff again meant seeing Chelsea. But she knew the woman wasn’t used to being around children. She smiled encouragement to Joey. To Jeff, she said, “We’re sorry. Please let me know how much the dry cleaning costs. We’ll be glad to pay for it.”

  Jeff nodded and smiled, but Chelsea was standing by the door, her toe tapping out the seconds he kept her waiting. After Jeff reached her and held open the door, both Rebecca and Joey gave a sigh of relief.

  “Now can I go play with Derek?”

  “First you have to eat your hamburger. I’ll get you some water to drink.”

  “But I want another soda.”

  “I think we’ll stick with water.”

  His face took on a stubborn look. “I want a soda.”

  “You’re not going to get a soda. If you’re nice, you can play with Derek. If not, we’ll just go home.” Rebecca kept her voice calm, leaving the choice up to him.

  “I’d like some water, please, Mommy.” Joey even managed to smile, determined he was going to play with his friend.

  “Very nice. I’ll be right back.”

  She brought him water, and he finished his hamburger in rapid fashion. Then he politely asked if he could go play with his friend.

  Rebecca agreed, warning him they would have to leave in twenty minutes. After he ran to join his friend, she wished Jeff had been there to see his good behavior. And Chelsea, too. If she was going to be his stepmother, Rebecca wanted her to know that he could behave properly. He’d just gotten excited about seeing his friend.

  REBECCA WASN’T EAGER TO GO to her job the next day. She was afraid Jeff would make remarks about Joey’s behavior. It was important for Jeff to like Joey. Joey’s self-image was at stake. She admitted to herself that his acceptance of Joey mattered to her, too. She wanted Jeff to believe she’d done a good job of raising their son.

  Which also forced her to admit that Jeff’s opinion about everything mattered to her, even if he was marrying another woman. All these years, even though she hadn’t told Jeff about his son, she’d held him in her heart. She might not be able to have Jeff for her own, but she at least wanted her son to have him in his life.

  She warily entered the law office that afternoon. When she barely avoided running into a tall, handsome man—not Jeff—she abruptly forgot her problems. “Oh, excuse me!” she exclaimed.

  “I’m sure it was my fault. I was in too much of a hurry.”

  She smiled and stepped back, assuming he was on his way out of the office.

  “Are you here about a legal problem?” he asked, not moving.

  “No,” Rebecca said, still smiling, “I work here.”

  “So do I.” He gave her a curious look.

  “Oh, you must be Jeff’s new partner!” Rebecca exclaimed just as Harriet came out of Jeff’s office.

  “Oh, good, I see you two have met,” Harriet said with a smile.

  “Well, not exactly,” the man said. “She’s figured out I’m Jeff’s new partner, but neither of us knows the other’s name.”

  “Well, then, let me introduce you. Rebecca, this is Bill Wallace, Jeff’s new partner, as you suspected. Bill, this is Rebecca Barlow, our part-time help.”

  “Hello, Rebecca,” Bill immediately said. He extended his hand, and Rebecca placed hers in it, assuming he wanted to shake hands.

  Bill, however, just held her hand, smiling at her. “I must say Jeff has shown great taste in hiring you.”

  Embarrassed, Rebecca tugged on her hand. “Actually, Harriet hired me.”

  “Then Harriet has shown good taste,” he said, a teasing smile on his face as he continued to hold on to her hand.

  Jeff walked out of his office. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m just making Rebecca’s acquaintance,” Bill assured him, his smile growing.

  Jeff frowned. “I need to see you in my office, Bill.”

  Slowly Bill released Rebecca’s hand. “I’ll see you later, Rebecca,” he promised before he turned and followed Jeff into his office.

  “Close the door,” Jeff snapped.

  Bill did so, but his expression showed concern.

  “What’s wrong? Did I commit a faux pas?”

  “I just wanted to warn you about flirting with Rebecca.” Jeff sat down behind his desk. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix business and personal interests.”

  “So she means nothing to you? Personally, I mean.”

  Jeff glared at him. “She’s the mother of my son.”

  “Your son? I didn’t know you had a son.” Bill stared at him.

  “I didn’t know, either, until yesterday,” Jeff admitted. “Rebecca and I had a—a relationship five years ago. I left rather suddenly and moved to Texas to be with my aunt and uncle. Because my aunt was dying of cancer, I didn’t call Rebecca as soon as I’d wanted. By the time I tried to get hold of her, I couldn’t find her.”

  “And she didn’t contact you at all?”

  “No.”

  “Must’ve been a real shock. How did Chelsea take it?”

  “As well as could be expected. It will take Chelsea time to adjust to the change.” He wasn’t sure Bill would believe him since he’d met Chelsea several times when they were talking about being partners.

  “Yeah, I can imagine. Chelsea’s used to getting her own way. You’ve spoiled her rotten.”

  “I have? Her family has certainly spoiled her, but I don’t think I’m guilty of it,” Jeff unhappily asserted.

  “Well, Chelsea is the kind of lady you have to take a hard line with, to cou
nterbalance her behavior.”

  “When I want your advice on how to handle my fiancée, I’ll ask for it, Bill. Until then, mind your own business and keep away from Rebecca.”

  “Wait a minute! You’ve got Chelsea. Where does Rebecca fit in?”

  “I told you. She’s the mother of my son.”

  “So she has to take a vow of chastity?”

  “I don’t think she’d be interested right now.”

  “But if she indicates that she is, then there’s no reason I can’t get to know her better?”

  “I told you I don’t like mixing our personal lives with our business.” Jeff frowned at his partner to emphasize his point.

  “Jeff, she’s a part-time worker, not another lawyer, or even my secretary. I’ll be careful.” With a triumphant smile, he left the office.

  Jeff sat there, staring at a painting on the wall without even seeing it. He hated to admit it, but Bill was right. He didn’t have the right to warn Bill away from Rebecca. Not when he was engaged to Chelsea.

  And he was committed to Chelsea, of course. But when faced with Rebecca, living and breathing right there in front of him when he’d thought she was gone from him forever, he was growing more and more confused by the minute. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling.

  Still, Jeff tried to put aside his emotions and get to work. But he made sure Rebecca was kept busy. Too busy to be available for any flirting with Bill.

  EVERYTHING WAS GOING SMOOTHLY. Rebecca was working diligently at the sudden increase of duties she’d received since Jeff returned to work.

  He’d offered to take them to the zoo on Saturday. Again Rebecca had tried to convince her son that her presence wasn’t necessary, but Joey had disagreed with her and so had Jeff.

  Rebecca worried that she wasn’t fighting hard enough. She knew she wanted to be with Jeff, but she had to realize he was engaged to Chelsea. Her son had a role in Jeff’s life, but Rebecca didn’t, and she tried to remind herself of that fact at every turn.

  Then Thursday afternoon came and all hell broke loose….

  “Rebecca, you have a call…and the woman sounds upset,” Harriet warned as she held out the phone for Rebecca.