by Mlyn Hurn
Coming to his feet, he reached down and helped his mother to her feet. "Come on, Mother. Let's rejoin the festivities. We can talk about this later."
Chapter 15
Laena lay alone in her bed that night. Jack had seemed distant on the drive home, and he had made no effort to touch or kiss her since learning of her pregnancy. She didn't know what to think. A good chance existed that he would reject her soon. After all, he'd had a vasectomy because he didn't want more children. And that decision had been made more than nine or ten years earlier. Certainly, he was even surer of the possibility now. Fear bubbled inside her over the future.
After an hour of tossing and turning in her bed, she crept from the house and made her way to the studio. She turned on only one light and began working the clay. Soon, she was seated at the wheel, wearing one of Jack's white T-shirts that had been in her drawer. With the clay in her hands, she felt much calmer. She would need to make some decisions, and soon. Watching the pot begin to take shape, she started to cry. Her life had finally begun straightening out and now everything seemed bent on going haywire again.
Laena guessed she would have to leave here. This was Jack's home, after all, not hers. She didn't expect Ruth to choose her over her son. She would never let it come down to that. Soon she would have to start looking for somewhere to live. Ignoring the soreness in her back, Laena worked until dawn, trying to concentrate on the clay and not on her chaotic and disorganized thoughts. Tears coursed down her cheeks at irregular intervals, and Laena used her clay-covered fingers to wipe them away. She was surprised when the door opened, interrupting her half-hearted concentration.
"Good morning!" Ruth walked into the studio, smiling.
Laena looked up, not thinking anything good could be said about it. "Hello, Ruth. You are up early."
"And you look like you've been at this all night."
Laena nodded. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here and got caught up with it all."
Ruth came closer and sat on the chair by the worktable. "The time has come for some plain speaking around here. First of all, this should be your last all-nighter, Laena."
Laena looked up, ready to deny her tiredness. Her back ached and she was exhausted. But the look on Ruth's face stopped her. Obviously, Ruth was not thinking about the work, but about Laena's health and the baby. She flushed as she realized that she had not been thinking about the baby when she ignored her body's demands for sleep. She nodded once, looking back down at the pot she made on the wheel.
"Why don't you clean up and I'll make us some breakfast?" Ruth offered softly.
Laena wiggled the fingers of her free hand, motioning for her attention.
Ruth looked at her.
Laena could see the worry in her face. "Please don't worry about me, Ruth. My being here shouldn't serve as a stressor for you."
Ruth didn't wait. "Look, Laena. Michael spilled the beans when I pushed him. Now, I don't know what is happening between you and Jack, and personally I want to knock him on the head but I will stay out of that part. What I will say is that this is my house, not his. I don't want you thinking that you have to leave. I love my son, but he hasn't lived here for almost...well, too many years for to think about now. And you have made me very happy, coming here and sharing the house with me. With you, Laena, I feel like I've rediscovered life again. Instead of winding down like so many people my age, you have helped me find new interests, get involved and even start dating once again. I'm sure most people would say I'm being an unnatural mother, but if push comes to shove, Laena, I want you to stay."
Laena stopped the wheel and stared at Ruth. "You can't choose me over Jack, Ruth. Your family would be up in arms. And maybe it would be better if I just left before things get any messier."
Ruth shook her head vehemently. "I want you to promise me that you won't make any decisions, one way or another for at least a month."
Laena hesitated for a few moments, but knew she owed this to Ruth. She nodded her head in agreement.
Ruth smiled. "Clean up and come to the house for breakfast."
Laena covered the pot with a damp cloth. Thankful for the installation of a full-size bathroom, she rinsed off her hands and forearms, drying off quickly. As she made her way to the house, she was totally aware of her aching back. No more marathon sessions on the wheel, she realized with a shrug.
When she entered the kitchen a few moments later, she found Ruth seated at the table, reading a note. Something about the look on Ruth's face told her it was from Jack and it didn't look like good news. She took the seat opposite the older woman and waited for her to speak.
"It's from Jack." Ruth held up the paper, turning it slightly.
Laena recognized his handwriting, nodding.
"He says he decided to head into the city and see about some of the job offers he has gotten recently."
Laena gasped, too quickly pressing her hand to her mouth to cover it. Her stomach was somersaulting. Hundreds of crazy, worrywart thoughts started bombarding her. "Does he say when he'll be home?" she asked softly, grateful that her voice didn't break.
"He isn't sure how long he will be, but he says he needs to make some decisions about the future."
Silence followed.
Laena finally swallowed hard and asked, "Why didn't he say goodbye?"
Ruth looked up from the note to meet Laena's gaze across the table.
Laena could see the older woman's concern in her expression.
"I imagine it was because he left at the crack of dawn. He used to do that on his visits here to miss traffic for the trip back into the city." Half under her breath she muttered, "It sounds to me as if he's running away from his decision."
Staring down at the table, Laena was afraid that if she met Ruth's gaze, she might lose it. She felt as though her heart broke, shattering into little fragments. Jack might have said in the note he planned on considering his business decisions, but she knew that he was really concerned whether he wanted to take on the responsibility of a new family at this stage in his life. She knew that he had obviously considered his procreation days at an end. And while some men might have chosen to reverse the surgery, or at least try, Jack hadn't even been given the choice. No doubt, he'd spent last night thinking.
"Well, I hope he finds something he will enjoy doing." Laena took a deep breath and forced a smile to her lips. "Enjoying your work is really important."
Ruth didn't say anything but crumpled the note in her fist, dropping it to the table. She stood, turning to the refrigerator. "I'll start breakfast, and then I'm putting you to bed!"
Laena heard Ruth muttering under her breath about blockheads, sons, and men in general. Once she was sure the older woman wouldn't see, she reached out and grabbed the crumpled piece of paper, stuffing it into her pants pocket to be perused later.
* * * * *
Several weeks later, Laena was in the studio working. She had the place to herself since Ruth had gone into town to meet Frank for lunch and a movie. Seated at the worktable, she pounded at some clay, taking out her frustrations. She wore one of Ruth's caftans. Almost overnight, her tummy had increased in size. Her jeans were too tight to fasten and while Ruth wanted her to go on a shopping spree for maternity clothes, she kept delaying the inevitable. As the first week of August passed, and if her dates were correct, she guessed she was five months along. But suddenly she looked like the pregnancy was a lot more. Ruth had been after her to call Michael and make an appointment, but she had been putting it off.
She ate very well, thanks to Ruth. And she was in bed by nine every night, again thanks to Ruth. Clearly Ruth was focused enough to think about the baby, which was logical, since it was her grandbaby! Even if Jack doubted her-
Suddenly she heard a noise at the open doorway and looked up. She gasped, seeing the last person she expected to see.
Jeff Hunt stepped through the open door and looked at his ex-wife. He knew it was a safe bet to come out here because the gossip all over town was about
how Jack Spencer had taken off once again.
A moment later, Laena looked up from her work, smiling. "Where's the cat?" she asked softly.
It took Jeff a moment to catch the slur and he gritted his teeth. Typical of Laena to make some nasty comment, he thought to himself. "Is that anyway to talk to a guest?"
Laena looked away from Jeff and pounded the clay down hard onto the worktable again. "The difference is a guest is invited, and you were not."
Jeff clenched his teeth once again, fighting to keep from snapping back at Laena. She still had the tongue of a viper. "Look, I didn't come out here to exchange barbs with you, Laena."
Laena looked down at the clay and pounded it again. "All right. Why are you here?"
"I heard you were pregnant and wanted to see if it was true."
Laena glanced up at Jeff for a second, and then back to the table. "I'm surprised you didn't just look through Michael's files."
Jeff felt the heated flush moving up his neck, guilty that her words were so accurate. Damn!
"So, now you know. It's none of your business, by the way."
"True. I'm curious as to who the father is, seeing as how Jack was Michael's first vasectomy patient. I wouldn't have thought you would cuckold your lover just to get back at me. All you've done is made a fool of yourself." Jeff moved over to face Laena across the worktable. He folded his arms across his chest. "Unless of course you didn't know Jack had the vasectomy. In that case, I'm guessing your fooling around caught up with you." Rocking back on his heels, he guessed that he'd gotten the better of her on that one!
Laena sat for a moment, unmoving, before she looked up at her ex-husband, meeting his gaze. "I'm not like you, Jeff. I don't cheat, even if I'm not married. Whether Jack believes it or not, I've never been with anyone except him since our divorce. Now, will you please just go? You have your answer, and please go before Ruth comes down here. Your presence would upset her, considering her relationship with your father."
"I know for a fact that Ruth isn't here. She and Father had a luncheon date."
"So, that is why you snaked your way out here, huh?" Suddenly she felt really tired and didn't have the heart or energy to continue this verbal sparring. "Just go, Jeff. I'd like to be alone."
Jeff took a step towards the door. "You should get used to being alone, Laena. It appears as if Jack doesn't believe you, seeing as how he has made himself scarce lately."
Laena's breath caught at the sharp pain his words caused. It was true. Jack hadn't called or written since he had left almost four weeks earlier. She was pretty sure Ruth had talked to him a few times, but she hadn't said anything to Laena about it. She reached over to wet her hands and picked up the clay again. She had added too much water and the clay was a wet mushy mess. Angrily, she glanced back up at Jeff.
He started for the door, smiling. In less than a second or two, he was on his way towards his car.
Without thinking, Laena closed her fists into the wet, sloppy goop and stood to follow him.
Jeff was a few feet from his fancy convertible, when he turned to look back.
She saw the surprise on his face. Obviously, he had not expected her to follow him.
"Maybe you should get used to this," Jeff told her with a nasty grin.
Laena knew better, sensing her ex-husband needed to get still one more verbal spear into her back, but felt compelled to ask, "What?'
"Men walking away from you."
Feeling a little foggy, perhaps due to tiredness, she repeated her question, "What?"
"You stupid bitch-get used to being fucked and then dumped."
Laena didn't think, she only reacted. She threw the clay with exceedingly accurate aim. Maybe all those hours of playing ball with the kids paid off. The glob of wet clay smacked Jeff clearly in the middle of his chest, splattering onto his face and dripping down onto his expensive trousers, and-
Laena glanced down. Yes! He had on his Italian handmade leather loafers. She stayed still, waiting for him to react first.
The furious look in her ex-husband's eyes nearly shouted that he was ready to strike her for ruining his silk tie and expensive clothing.
Laena was stunned that she had acted so childishly. And yet she wanted to blast him with the other handful.
Suddenly, applause sounded from behind them.
Laena spun and saw that Jack stood at the side of the studio, clapping his hands.
He was dressed casually in jeans and T-shirt. He grinned and started walking towards her.
Laena didn't care who he applauded. She was too pissed at him for deserting her, and she let fly the other handful of clay. This one wasn't quite as accurate, but it did hit one arm and shoulder.
Jack looked surprised for a moment, but he didn't stop grinning. "Good shot, little mama." He stopped as he reached her side, holding her gaze for a long moment. He then turned to face Jeff. "You saved me from hitting him." He slid his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close. "Now, Jeff, for the sake of our families and future relations, I suggest you get the hell out of here before I succumb to the overwhelming need to alter your face."
Jeff glared at the older man.
Laena could see him pausing and thinking. She guessed Jeff had no doubt that if it came down to it, Jack probably could do him some serious damage.
He turned quickly and climbed into his car, cursing loudly when the clay dripped onto the plush light-colored interior. He started the car and gunned the engine, spewing dust behind him as he sped down the drive.
After a few moments, Jack turned Laena to face him with his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Laena. I should have come back sooner, and I can only blame it on cold feet. I used the job search as an excuse. I wasn't planning on being a new dad at the age of forty-eight, well, forty-nine when it actually comes. Here I faced a major career change and meeting you knocked me off my feet. None of that excuses my behavior. Learning that you were pregnant and realizing my surgery had failed was quite a shock to my system."
Laena nodded, showing that she understood that it was a shock. Still, she was experiencing the rush of surprise that he was finally home. Added to that was anger at being deserted without a word. And there was the fact that he had not spoken to her during his phone calls. She opened her mouth to speak.
Jack covered her lips with his index finger. "Shh, let me finish, honey. I missed you like hell all the while I was gone. I wouldn't blame you if you kicked dirt in my face, or hit me with more clay." He chuckled softly. "But even if you did, I wouldn't give up or leave. I would hang around you until you felt sorry enough for me to give me a second chance."
Laena laughed, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I don't want you to come back because of the baby. No one is ever happy when that happens."
Jack pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "I don't think this feels like 'caring just because of the baby', does it?"
Laena felt heat rush through her as his arousal pressed against her. While only a few weeks had passed, it seemed longer. She lifted her face and met his mouth eagerly, kissing him back as hotly and as passionately as ever before. More than anything, she wanted to say something sexy like "Let's go make use of that nice long sofa in the studio". But she needed to tell him things that had been preying on her mind since he'd left. She eased away from him.
Jack grinned. "I've been thinking about making slow, tender love to you." He grabbed Laena's hand and led her back to the studio. He kicked the door shut as he yanked his shirt over his head. He backed Laena to the sofa and his fingers were making quick work of the small buttons down the front of the caftan. He stopped about halfway down and looked into her eyes.
"I don't want to object to your taste in clothes, honey. But this looks like something my mom would wear."
Laena could feel the heat stain her cheeks. "It is your mother's. I don't have anything that fits at the moment."
Jack released the last button and moved his hands to rest on her shoulders. "And I guess running aroun
d naked didn't seem like a good idea, huh?"
Laena laughed. "You haven't seen me naked lately or you wouldn't need to ask that."
"Sweetheart, I know you are beautiful, and you will only become more so." His hands began pushing the caftan off her shoulders.
Instinctively, Laena raised her hands to cover herself.
Jack pushed the dress off her shoulders so only her crossed arms held it partially up. His hands curled around hers and he slowly pulled them down. Then he felt her resistance and looked up.
Tears were running down her cheeks.
"Oh, God, honey! What's wrong? Are you all right?"
Laena pulled the caftan back up, holding the front edges together with one hand. "I'm still ticked at you," she muttered as the tears threatened to choke her words.
"I'm sorry, Laena. I handled everything wrong. Mother kept telling me over the phone I was going about this all-wrong and I should be talking to you. But I wanted to present you with a definite future. I needed to show you that I could care for you and the baby, even though I wasn't a scrappy kid with twenty years to plan for college and so on." He pulled her into his arms, holding her gently.
Laena let go of the dress and curled her arms around him, cuddling her head onto his chest. The sound of his heartbeat, thudding strongly beneath her ear was reassuring and soothing to her frazzled nerves. "I thought you'd...damn it! I don't even know that I could think rationally anymore. My temper is so short. I can't believe that I actually threw clay at you and Jeff. How immature! What kind of mother am I going to be?"
"Hmm, a good ball-playing one, that's for sure!"
Laena pulled away, lightly pounding one fist on his chest. "Just what a girl needs to know these days!"
"A modern one does, anyway. Now, go ahead and tell me what else is bothering you. Just let it all come out."