The Baby Arrangement

by Lisa Dyson

“A chef? How long have you been together? You never mentioned him when we had dinner. Did you know you were pregnant then?” His questions came one on top of the other.

  “Slow down, Dad. I met him on vacation.” She wasn’t about to confess to her dad that Nick had been a vacation fling that had turned her life upside down. “He’s a good guy. I’m sure you’ll like him.”

  “Did you run a background check on him?”

  “Of course not.”

  “You’ve got to do that, Aubrey.” There he was, reverting to her former name again.

  Visions of her dead cat, Audrey, crossed her mind.

  “How do you know he’s not out for your money?” her dad asked.

  “He’s not, Dad. I know him better than that.”

  “You can’t trust blind faith,” he said vehemently. “You need to have him investigated.” He paused. “You’re certainly not planning to marry this guy, are you?”

  “Well—” Was she actually considering it?

  “Aubrey!” He practically yelled into the phone. “Didn’t you learn anything from me? You don’t need to marry him just because he got you pregnant.”

  “I know that, Dad. Listen, nothing’s settled. We’re just taking our time.”

  “Well, take that time and check into him. There’s no time to waste.”

  She and her dad disconnected, leaving Bree exhausted. She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from him, and now she couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said.

  * * *

  “ARE YOU ALMOST ready to go?” Bree asked Nick on Saturday morning. “Class starts at nine.” They were taking an all-day Lamaze class at the hospital where Bree would be delivering, followed by a hospital tour. He was looking forward to it, but wasn’t sure Bree felt the same way.

  She stood in the doorway of the smallest of his three bedrooms. The one he’d used to store various items like his bike, his computer, a file cabinet with his important papers and the set of weights he couldn’t remember the last time he’d used.

  Maybe he should sell the weights since he preferred using the building’s gym. “I’m ready to go,” he told her. “I was just trying to figure out if some of this stuff will fit in my storage area in the basement of the building.”

  She looked around at his assortment of things and didn’t say a word.

  “So I need an opinion. Would it be better for me to do an identical nursery to what you’ve done so the baby isn’t confused, or should I do something completely different?”

  She stared at him. She had to know he’d start on the nursery sooner or later. She’d made no mention of them getting married. And she hadn’t come right out and said she wanted to share custody, either. So he naturally assumed that they would continue their current living situation until they decided they needed to change it.

  Which meant he needed a nursery.

  “It’s your place, so whatever you decide will be fine,” she finally said. She turned and walked away, saying, “Let’s get going.”

  Nick followed behind her, and they spent the day learning everything there was to know about childbirth, breathing and options for drugs if they became necessary.

  “I’ll take the epidural right now,” Bree said under her breath to Nick after they watched an actual birth video. “In fact, just keep me hooked up until this is all over.”

  He chuckled softly and took her hand. “You’re stronger than you think.”

  She scowled, and they watched the rest of the video with the class.

  After class, they’d been invited to Roxie’s for dinner. He was anxious to see Bree’s reaction when she found out it wasn’t just dinner, but a baby shower. He had no idea how it would go over, which he’d told the girls. But they’d insisted that they had to do this for Bree. They seemed to think that she would change her mind about not wanting to raise the baby, and perhaps already had, even if she hadn’t admitted it yet.

  He did agree that Bree had more motherly instincts than she realized. She just couldn’t see clearly right now.

  “I’m pretty tired,” Bree said when they were leaving the hospital. “Do you think Roxie would be upset if we didn’t go to dinner?”

  Uh-oh. Nick didn’t know what to say.

  “I don’t know. Why was she having this dinner tonight in the first place?” He couldn’t remember the excuse Roxie had given Bree.

  She shrugged. “Something about wanting to show off her new furniture. I’m sure she’d understand.”

  “Maybe if we walk around a little you’ll be more energized. We did a lot of sitting in that class when we weren’t on the floor practicing breathing techniques.”

  “I guess so.” But she didn’t seem enthusiastic.

  Now he was feeling guilty because if not for the surprise shower, he’d have taken her right home and tucked her into bed.

  “There’s a park down the street. We can get some fresh air.” The September day was sunny and comfortably warm, a hopeful sign that the summer humidity and high temps were in the rearview mirror.

  “That’s probably a good idea,” she said. “I could use the exercise. I’ve been going to that pregnant yoga class, but I miss my old workouts.”

  So they walked, talking amicably about neutral subjects. When they returned to his car, he opened her door for her and put a hand on her arm to stop her before she got in.

  “What?” She looked at him.

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked. “Roxie will be disappointed if we can’t make it.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “Okay, let’s go. But let’s not stay too late.”

  “Deal.”

  After she was settled in the passenger seat, he closed the door and went around to get in on his side. Whew! He’d dodged a bullet. He hadn’t been sure what his next move would have been if she’d decided not to go ahead to Roxie’s. He probably would have taken the coward’s way out and had Bree call Roxie to cancel. Then it would have been up to Roxie to talk her into coming.

  Roxie lived in a small brick row house built in the seventies. According to Bree, she’d slowly been redoing the place since she’d bought it two years ago.

  “Parking here is terrible,” Bree told him. “There aren’t many visitor spots. Why don’t you just park on the street?”

  “Good idea.” He found a parking place right away, about a two-block walk to Roxie’s. Once they had walked past a few houses, he checked the time on his phone and saw that they were within five minutes of when they were supposed to arrive. “Oh, wait here. I need to make sure I locked the car.”

  Hoping she would wait right there and not go on without him, he walked back close enough to his car to hit the lock button. At the same time he sent a text to Roxie to let her know they had arrived.

  “Sorry about that,” he said to Bree. “I didn’t want to leave it unlocked while it was parked on the street.”

  She nodded. “You’re sure you’re good with an early evening?”

  He took her hand in his as they walked. “Whatever you want is fine with me.”

  * * *

  “SURPRISE!” THE SHOUT came as soon as they entered Roxie’s front door.

  “What’s going on?” Bree looked around the living room to see her friends and relatives—both male and female—as well as Nick’s relatives, smiling at her expectantly. Then she saw the banner that read Congratulations, with a background covered in rattles and storks and baby bottles. “A baby shower?” Were her friends really throwing her a baby shower?

  Roxie made her way through the crowd to Bree and hugged her. “We thought since Nick would be here that we’d invite some other men, too. Are you surprised?”

  “Completely.”

  “Good.” Roxie then said to Nick, “Good job getting her here without giving it away.”

&nbs
p; He grinned and put a hand on Bree’s shoulder. “It wasn’t as easy as I’d expected. She wanted to back out.”

  Bree looked up at him. “You knew about it?”

  He winked at her. “They had to tell me so I could get you here at the right time.”

  Roxie pulled on her arm. “Come on, grab some food and then mingle. I promise we’re not going to play any of those silly games you hate, but there are presents to open a little later.”

  Bree wasn’t sure what to think. She should have known that her friends would throw her a baby shower, but they should have also known that it wasn’t really her thing.

  She inhaled deeply and went to get a plate of food. The girls had gone all out. Looking at the spread, she could tell that they’d had it catered by one of the women who they’d helped get her catering business going. Bree knew the food would be delicious, and she wasn’t disappointed when she ate a crab-stuffed mushroom.

  After that she worked the room, talking to everyone and thanking them for coming. Nick’s mom and Pete were there, as well as several other relatives that Bree had met at the family reunion.

  “I can’t believe you came all this way for the party,” Bree told her grandparents when she got to them.

  “We wouldn’t have missed it,” Grammy said. “You have some very nice friends.”

  “Yes, I do.” Bree continued to greet people, including her aunt Karen and several of Bree’s cousins, as well as some of her coworkers at BeeTee, Inc.

  She was throwing her plate away when Amber made an announcement. “It’s time for presents!” She pointed to a chair for Bree to sit in, right next to a huge pile of gifts.

  As the present-opening went on, Bree became more and more convinced that she didn’t know enough about being a mother. There were sentimental gifts that made perfect sense, like the crib-sized quilt handcrafted by her grandmother.

  But when she opened the diaper disposal thing, she couldn’t help wondering what was wrong with a regular trash can. Then there was a video monitor. Was she supposed to watch this baby twenty-four hours a day, even when she was asleep? And the breast pump. Really? Was she expected to pump so Nick could feed their daughter with a bottle when she wasn’t around?

  Completely overwhelmed, she couldn’t wait to reach the end of the torture.

  When the last of the presents had been opened and the guests clapped in glee, everyone was invited to have cake. Bree wasn’t interested in cake at the moment, but she did need a bathroom.

  And a place to hide for a few minutes.

  Once she was safely locked inside the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She’d never backed down from a challenge. But she truly had no idea how she would ever learn everything she needed to if she wanted to be a part of her daughter’s life.

  On the other hand, Nick hadn’t seemed too worried about it. He was calm and usually able to quiet her fears. Maybe she should consider his marriage proposal. They’d proved they were compatible, and she couldn’t deny that she loved him.

  Not that she’d told him that.

  But was marriage the best solution? She was more confused than ever.

  Willing herself to not cry, she sucked in a few deep breaths and opened the bathroom door. She was heading back to the party when she heard her name. Nick must be right around the corner in the kitchen. Thinking he was talking about their Lamaze class, she was about to join him until she heard Pete’s reply.

  “Bree can help you, man. She’s got plenty of money. I know I sound like a broken record, but you don’t need to put the restaurant in jeopardy because of your pride.”

  Bree leaned back against the hallway wall, breathing quickly. Her ears began ringing and she couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation because other people were speaking over Nick and Pete.

  What was she going to do? Had her father been right? Was Nick after her money? How could she ever marry him if that was the case?

  When she couldn’t control the tears that flooded her eyes, she walked back into the bathroom, shut the door and leaned over the sink.

  How would she make it through the rest of this party without letting Nick know what she’d overheard?

  It wasn’t easy, but Bree managed to act like everything was fine. It helped that she pretty much avoided Nick the entire time.

  As soon as she could reasonably leave, she thanked Roxie and Amber and Hannah profusely, saying she’d had a long day and needed to get to bed. Thankfully, they were very understanding and didn’t put up a fuss.

  She was silent all the way to Nick’s. When they reached his condo, she began packing up her things.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m going home.”

  “Why?”

  She was exhausted and hadn’t wanted to have this discussion now. But he deserved an explanation.

  “I overheard your conversation with Pete tonight.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “What conversation?” He seemed truly dumbfounded about what she was talking about.

  “The one where you ask me for money.”

  He cocked his head. “Take money from you? No way! That’s Pete’s idea, not mine.”

  “So you’re telling me that your restaurant isn’t in financial trouble?”

  He hesitated, a definite sign of deception in Bree’s eyes. “In the past, yes. But I worked through that. We’re doing a lot better now.”

  “What exactly does that mean?”

  “It means that I went through a tough time financially because of several issues all at once, and I came up with various solutions that took care of it.”

  “Then why was Pete telling you to get money from me now?”

  “Because something else has come up, but I can handle it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Listen, can we sit down and talk about this?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about. My father warned me that you might be after my money, but I stuck up for you.” She could feel her emotions bubbling up again. Damn these pregnancy hormones. “Now I find out that he was right all along.”

  “Please sit down.” His tone was authoritative. He sat down on the sofa, and she reluctantly followed. Only because she wanted to finish this once and for all. “Let me go back to the beginning and explain.”

  Bree listened with her arms crossed over her chest as he told her about his barback stealing liquor and his food distributor overcharging him. “I admit I wasn’t paying enough attention to what was going on at the restaurant with the wedding plans taking up a lot of my time. Then Tracy called off the wedding, and I lost a lot of money in nonrefundable deposits and selling our condo. On top of that, I now had a restaurant that was barely holding on.”

  “So why didn’t you tell me? You had to have known when we met that I had money. Was that your plan from the beginning? Seduce me and get me to save your restaurant?”

  “Not at all. I had no idea who you were until later. Pete realized it and wanted me to come to you for a loan, but I didn’t feel right about taking money from you.”

  “You expect me to believe that?” She started to get up, not an easy task at eight-months pregnant.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You said you worked through your financial problems, but you still haven’t explained why Pete was just saying tonight that you should get money from me.”

  He rubbed his forehead and explained all the things he’d done to make extra money to keep his restaurant going. The bartending classes, the pop-up restaurants, taking the consulting job with Bree’s company. “I even stopped taking a salary until the restaurant was in the black again.”

  “And tonight was about what?” she asked again.

  “We got a tax bill I wasn’t expecting. Our accountant made a mistake on our taxes, and now we have a bill and
penalties to pay.”

  “I still haven’t heard why you didn’t tell me about all this. I know we started out with a business arrangement, but I thought—” She couldn’t verbalize what she thought they were to each other because she wasn’t sure.

  “I know.” He shrugged. “I guess it was my pride. I needed to fix it on my own.”

  She rose, her resolve to end things even stronger. “Fixing it on your own is commendable. But not letting me know is unforgivable. I can’t believe you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what was going on. Especially after I allowed you to be involved in my personal business.” She turned away from him and went back to gathering her things. When she’d found her family she’d opened herself up to him and let him be there for her, but he couldn’t do the same with his own struggles.

  “So that’s it?” he asked, following her around. “I make one mistake and you’re done?”

  She looked at him. “Pretty much.”

  “I think you’re using this as an excuse.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “An excuse? For what?”

  “An excuse to break up with me.” She heard his anger as he spoke. “You’re afraid to take a chance. Afraid you’re going to screw up, and you hate to fail. So, instead, you’re not even going to give us a try. You’ve been waiting for a way out, and now you’ve found it. You’re taking it whether it makes sense or not.”

  She had her things by the front door when she finally turned to face him. “Actually, earlier this evening I was thinking that I would marry you.” She paused, watching the surprise on his face. “But knowing that you can’t be completely honest with me is a deal breaker.”

  “And what about our daughter?” he asked, emotion evident in his voice. “Are we going back to that business arrangement we drew up where I raise her alone?”

  Bree put a hand on her protruding abdomen. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.” That was the truth. The baby shower had made her seriously doubt her ability to be a good mother all over again.

  “You know I’ll fight you for custody if you think you can keep her to yourself.” His anger was evident, something he normally kept under control.