His Change of Heart: Unexpected Pregnancy Romance
Page 13
When she had received the letter from Aunt Beth’s lawyer late last month, it hadn’t taken her long to make up her mind about what she knew she had to do. Getting that letter had actually made see things differently. She didn’t know why she had never thought of going back to Kalispell when she had found out about the baby. She knew all along that it was where she should have been, but she just needed that extra little push in that direction, and the letter had done it for her.
She had been shocked when she had called Mr. Carson’s office, and he had informed her that she was indeed the sole heir to Aunt Beth’s modest estate. She now owned the house where she had grown up, and the few acres of land around it, including a few thousand dollars worth of stocks and bonds that Aunt Beth had invested in over the years. It wasn’t a huge amount of money—she wasn’t wealthy by any means, but it was more than enough to set her up until the baby was born and she got back on her feet.
She had always been extremely fond of Aunt Beth and had been completely devastated to lose her. When her parents had died tragically in a car accident, Aunt Beth, a high school science teacher at the time, and her mother’s older sister had stepped in and took care of her, adopting her a year later. She had been twelve at the time, and Aunt Beth had become like a second mother to her. Aunt Beth had never married or had children of her own, and she was the only parent she had known growing up.
Avery had made certain she kept in touch with Aunt Beth when she moved to New York, calling her every week and sending her a modest check every month, even though Aunt Beth had insisted that she didn’t need the money. Later, she discovered that Aunt Beth had been depositing the checks into a special investment account for her, so that she could have the money when she needed it.
And when Avery found out that Aunt Beth was battling terminal cancer, she had been completely devastated, and then angry that Aunt Beth had kept something that important from her. Aunt Beth told her afterward, that she hadn’t said anything, because she didn’t want Avery worrying needlessly about her, especially since there was nothing the doctors could do to save her.
Avery had immediately taken time off work and flown home to be with the woman who had loved and supported her at a time when she had needed her most. Unfortunately, Aunt Beth had succumbed to the disease two weeks after she got there. Avery had been inconsolable. She had wept uncontrollably.
The weekend before Aunt Beth passed, Will had flown to Kalispell on a Saturday morning to be with her, spending the day and most of Sunday, before flying back to New York. He had apologized for not being able to stay longer, but he was needed on a case, and was leaving for California on Monday to meet with clients there.
Avery had told him she understood. And as she had kissed him goodbye, he had promised to call her. He had been amazingly supportive through the whole ordeal. He had held her while she wept and dried her tears. He had even ditched his phone for the entire time he was there with her, refusing to take or return any of his calls, so that he could give her his undivided attention.
And he had said the right words to comfort her. He had told her that Aunt Beth had lived a full and rewarding life, and that she had done the most important job of all, by taking care of her when her parents couldn’t be there, and now it was Aunt Beth’s turn to allow someone else to do the same thing for her, and ease her suffering.
Avery had been surprised at Will’s spiritual take on Aunt Beth’s illness and her passing after. He had never struck her as someone who was religious, or even spiritual. And after, she had felt some measure of comfort in his assurance that Aunt Beth was going to a much better place.
She remembered Aunt Beth had been in unbelievably good spirit for the two days Will had been at the house. And to respect Aunt Beth’s traditional values, Avery had given Will the extra guest room, and she had slept in her old room. And when Will left, Aunt Beth had wasted no time commenting on his good looks and his charm. Then she had told Avery that she was happy she had found someone to look out for her now that she wasn’t going to be around. Avery had broken down and cried. She had told Aunt Beth that she was going to be here with her for a very long time, even though she knew in her heart that wasn’t true.
Aunt Beth had passed away in her sleep the next day. And Avery had been beside herself. She had called Will with the sad news, and he had told her that he was so sorry he couldn’t be there with her. He was already in California, and had a week’s worth of depositions lined up with witnesses for a lawsuit the firm was pursuing for a client. But he had called her several times and late at night. He had refused to get off the phone, even when Avery had suggested that he get some rest for work the next day. He had stayed on the line with her and he had tried to console her as she talked about Aunt Beth and sobbed.
He had flown in for the funeral in a private plane, and had helped her with all the necessary funeral arrangements. And Avery had stayed behind for another week when he had flown back to California. She hadn’t thought of Aunt Beth’s will or her being the beneficiary until she had received the letter in the mail, informing her as such. In fact, she didn’t even know Aunt Beth had a will.
She wanted the baby to grow up around the few family members she still had there, not in New York where she basically had no one. And she realized that as now, every decision she made was not only going to affect her life, but the baby’s as well. And it was up to her to make certain she made the right choices. She wanted what was best for the baby.
Fourteen
“Are you certain you should be doing that in your condition?”
“Whaa.. wh..at?” Avery asked in a startled voice, and squinted up at the person looking down at her. She couldn’t miss the disapproving frown on his thin lips as he gazed down at her.
Her hands went out before her, suddenly, and she lost her balance, her left hand falling into the basket of fresh fruits on the ground next to her, crushing a few of the ripe berries inside. She let out a loud sigh, and wiped her hand on an end of her jeans.
Her hands went up to shade her eyes from the glaring mid-afternoon sun as she looked up at the person in the garden with her. She knew now, that she should have worn a hat. She always did, but she wasn’t planning on staying outside for more than five, maybe ten minutes max, and the sun wasn’t as hot as it had been hours before.
Avery had heard the gate opened, and she had seen the reflection of someone coming into the back yard, but she had thought nothing of it, until he spoke. She actually thought it was Carey, the twelve year old son of her next door neighbor who she had begged her for a summer job. She had ended up hiring him to help weed and water the garden, and cut the grass on the front lawn. But it wasn’t Carey standing not far from her as she kneeled in the dirt, searching for cherry tomatoes and strawberries among the thick vines.
Carey didn’t wear expensive Italian leather loafers or slacks. And Carey certainly wouldn’t sneak up on her like that. She would have heard him coming into the back yard with his buddies even before she saw him. They were a noisy bunch who showed up all the time at her backdoor looking for cookies, lemonade, popsicles, or whatever snack she had on hand at the time.
Avery struggled to her feet, ignoring the hand Will held out to her, taking the basket of fruits with her. She stood and glared at him for a second, deliberately holding the basket at the front of her growing stomach. To say she was surprised to see him there, in the garden standing yards, if not inches away from her was a major understatement.
She had no idea how he had found her. She didn’t even know he was aware that she had left New York, or that she had moved back to Kalispell. Kat had sworn that she wouldn’t tell him where she was going, and she knew Kat wasn’t one to go back on her word. She was loyal to a fault. But somehow, Will had found her, because here he was, standing right before her, looking at her as if he had never set eyes on her before.
And she knew why—he couldn’t keep his eyes off her body, especially her baby bump. She wasn’t happy that he was here, and she didn’t
like the way he was looking at her. He had this rather irritating habit of showing up where he wasn’t exactly wanted or needed, she thought, as she turned to confront him.
“What are you doing here, Will? Hoow, hoow...” Avery stammered to get the words out as he moved towards her.
“How did I find you?” he finished her sentence for her with a huge smirk on his face. “Is that what you were going to ask me, and was having such a hard time with, Avery? I have my ways. I’m an attorney, remember. I have many indispensable resources at my finger tips, none of which are illegal, incase you are wondering. I found you the good old fashioned way, Avery—through reliable word of mouth.”
He reached to take the basket from her hands, but Avery wouldn’t let it go—she refused to hand it over to him. She held onto it tightly.
“Really, Avery,” he told her with a deep laugh, as he gently pried the basket of fruits from her shaking fingers. “There is no need for you to do that. I already know. And you would need something bigger than this very small basket to cover your stomach, if that is what you are actually trying to do. Your tummy is growing nicely, I see. And that tight top you are wearing isn’t doing such a good job of hiding it. You should have worn something less revealing if you were planning on concealing something that obvious.”
There was a twisted smile on his lips, as his eyes took in her tight clothing, purposely resting on her full breasts that were squeezed into the tank top.
Avery couldn’t tell if he was mocking her, but she felt like slapping that ridiculous smug look off his handsome face, and pushing him right back out the gate in the process.
“I want you to leave. I don’t know what you think you are doing, being here, but I want you off my property, now. This constant need of yours to show up where you aren’t wanted is border line stalking.”
“Really, Avery! How convenient of you to think of me as a stalker—a stalker!” he chuckled loudly. “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but I’m not going anywhere, not now, not ever. Let’s say you are going to be stuck with me for a very, very long time, probably for the rest of our lives. And to answer your question, I have come to claim what’s mine.” His eyes dropped to her stomach, and stayed there for a full thirty seconds or more to make his point, before holding her gaze again.
Avery felt the color rushing to her face and she looked away from him. She took a few steps over to where he was standing now, and made an attempt to push him through the open gate. At this point, she saw her neighbor, Mrs. Fields, working in her garden across the street and stopped.
Will smiled demurely at her when he saw the alarmed look on her face. She didn’t want her encounter with Will to spread like wild fire through the neighborhood. She knew Mrs. Fields wouldn’t hesitate to give anyone who would listen to her an earful about everything she had seen and heard. And Will, never one to miss anything decided to take full advantage of the situation.
“Looks like we have two choices, Avery,” he turned and said to her. “Either we stay out here in full view of everyone,” he nodded towards Mrs. Fields to make his point, “and discuss why I’m here with the neighbors watching and listening, or you invite me in for a nice glass of iced tea and we talk this over like two adults, or should I say parents. You are having my baby, aren’t you?” he teased her.
Avery felt the color rushing to her face again. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she told him, forcefully in a low voice. “Can you please just go away? Get back in your car and go back to your life in Chicago, Will. I don’t want you here. There’s nothing I have to say to you.”
“As I said before, Avery, I’m here to stay,” he told her, and reached for a strawberry in the basket and popped it into his mouth, deliberately licking his lips. “Wow! These are delectable,” he slipped another berry into his mouth. “They remind me of you, Avery, juicy and very sweet.” He gave her a very knowing look with a huge grin on his face.
Avery sighed and turned away from him so that he wouldn’t see the embarrass look on her face. The last thing she wanted was for the neighbors to know what was going on with her. When she had first arrived, and with her growing stomach on display, they had all watched her with open curiosity, wondering where her husband was.
Her relatives had asked discreetly about Will, and she had been evasive, telling them that he had relocated to Chicago to take another job there. At least she had been forthcoming with that part. Her uncle, aunt and cousins had met Will briefly when he had flown to Montana to be with her. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them the full story—that they had broken up, and she was having this baby without him. And if they suspected that they weren’t together, they hadn’t mentioned anything to her, not even her cousins who she was close with had brought any of it up.
Mrs. Fields on the other hand, had been the only one bold enough to come right out and asked what kind of man would abandon his pregnant wife and child. At least she knew what the neighbors were thinking about her. And to save face, Avery had given Mrs. Fields the impression that her husband, not Will specifically, was in Europe on extended business, but he would definitely be back before the baby was born.
After, she had regretted making up such an elaborate story—she should have stuck with something simpler—like maybe, her husband was in the military and deployed overseas, especially when Mrs. Fields had wasted no time repeating what she had said to her around the neighborhood. Avery had people coming up to her in the grocery store and in the street asking if she was certain her husband would be there with her for the baby’s birth. They all had this very sympathetic look on their faces, as if being alone was the worst thing that could have happened to her. She had kept a pasted smile on her face and nodded at them, without giving a direct answer. She hadn’t thought about what she was going to say when the time came for her to have the baby and a husband didn’t appear.
And seeing Mrs. Fields waving at her now, made Avery realize that her entire story could unravel at any given moment. She certainly didn’t want that happening, especially with Will standing next to her taking it all in. Mrs. Fields probably thought Will was her long lost husband, and she didn’t want to have to introduce him as otherwise. Mrs. Fields would definitely know she had been lying all along. And she was certain Will would be more than happy to ask questions about her imaginary husband to irritate her.
Avery turned and walked hurriedly to the side door that led into the large kitchen with Will following close behind her carrying the basket. She wanted them to get inside before Mrs. Fields made her way over. Will had a very silly grin on his face. He probably knew all about her little lies. He seemed to know everything about her, including about this pregnancy that she had been trying to hide from him.
“One glass of water and I want you out of here,” Avery told him when they got inside the kitchen. She went over to the fridge and took out two bottles of spring water and handed one to him with a glass, and kept the other one for herself.
“Pregnancy becomes you, Avery. You are glowing. You have that sexy, alluring look about you that very few women manage to have when they are pregnant,” he said to her, admiring her face, then her protruding stomach and full breasts. “You are still slim, though. Is that healthy? Aren’t you supposed to put on some weight, a few pounds maybe, when you are pregnant?”
Avery ignored him. She unscrewed the bottle of water in her hand and drank thirstily from it. She wished she had worn something that didn’t show her body off the way her outfit did. But if she had known that Will was going to show up unannounced at her door, she certainly would have dressed appropriately, like in a loose shirt or a dress.
She hadn’t bought a lot of maternity clothes because, except for the increased in her bust size, most of her clothes still fit her slim frame. And, today, because of the hot end of July heat she was wearing a light cotton tank top and a pair of shorts. The top was a bit tight and clung to her body, putting her growing tummy on full display. She couldn’t hide her pregnancy even if she wanted to.
“Certainly not you,” Avery told him with a defiant tilt of the head. She swallowed the last of her water and dropped the empty bottle in the recycle bin not far from his feet.
“Are you sure you want to play that game again, because you know all too well how that always ends for you—with you in my arms and in my bed screaming.”
Avery blushed. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You don’t, huh.” Will moved closer to her, covering the few footsteps that separated them. “You look well. Your hair has grown longer,” he touched the long curls that were hanging on her shoulders, smoothing his fingers over them. “I like it this way. I’m glad to see that you have been taking care of yourself, and our baby.” He reached out and touched her stomach, rubbing his hand gently over it several times, his eyes looking deep into hers.
And Avery backed away from him. “Don’t, please don’t.” She put her hand protectively around her stomach.
He removed his hand and looked at her. “You really are afraid of me, aren’t you, Avery.” There was a pained look on his face as he looked at her. “I know I have hurt you, but it was never my intention to. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. But I’m here now. I want to make it up to you, and the baby.”
“There’s no need for you to do that. The baby isn’t yours. I have no idea why you would even think it is. We broke up long before I found out I was pregnant.”
She watched the expression on his face changed, to disbelief, then angry.