* * *
“McDonald’s! You’re the heir to Silverton Enterprises and you take your honorable guest to lunch at McDonald’s?”
“Honorable guest my ass.” Hunter wanted to kick the kid in the butt just to teach him a lesson in messing with people’s lives. “McDonald’s is good enough for a kid like you. Now talk. I want to know every single detail. Why the hell did you pretend you were a waiter and drag me into that room? And who was that woman? I’ve been running around for ages looking for her.”
“Well, let’s just say that woman wanted something that belongs to you.”
“Belongs to me?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it she wants? Apart from my handsome body, I can’t think of a reason anyone would want to sleep with me,” Hunter asked Max shrewdly. “Unless she wants my money, but then why did she disappear before I even woke up?”
Oh, so that’s how it was, Max thought, snickering. His cousin must have been so embarrassed with the whole sperm exchange situation that she had to flee the scene before Anton woke up. Max shook his head and laughed. Typical of his cousin.
“What are you laughing at?” Hunter growled, irritated when Max wouldn’t answer his question.
“Nothing.” Max grinned. And then to change the subject, he said, “Man, all that running has really used all my energy reserves.” Then he picked up his Big Mac and started munching on it.
“Hey, kid, you hear me?” Hunter said, getting angrier. “I’m talking to you here.”
“I know. I’m so hungry that I need to eat first. Otherwise, I can’t concentrate.”
Hunter waited for Max to finish swallowing his burger before asking him again. “I want to find my mysterious goddess,” he said. “Where is she? And more importantly, who is she?”
“Mysterious goddess?” Max asked, confused. “Who’s your mysterious goddess?”
“The woman!” Hunter slammed his fist on the table to intimidate the smaller boy, but all Max did was give him a sour face, sure Hunter had gone berserk.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, big bro,” Max said, brushing aside the subject, then took another bite of his burger.
Hunter wanted to slam the table again, but he didn’t want to hurt his hand again.
“I’m referring to the woman who was in that room that night you pushed me through that door,” Hunter said, exasperated.
“Urgh…” Max didn’t know how to reply to Hunter. Clarice was already angry with him for interfering with her life. He didn’t know if he should answer Hunter’s question or not. Instead, he took a sip of his ice-cold Coke to calm himself first, then answered, “Even if I tell you who she is, you still wouldn’t know her.”
“I don’t care. I can get to know her after you tell me who she is. I’m dying here. I want to see her again.”
“You like her or something?”
“I… I don’t know. But I want to see her again,” Hunter confessed.
“Really?” Max asked. “You looked really stressed out, big bro. Did this woman really affect you that much?”
“I guess so,” Hunter said, suddenly exhausted. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if his mysterious goddess was the one that contributed to his sulky feelings right now. He believed it was the avocado that had caused him this infliction.
“Look, I gotta hurry,” Max said, getting up. “I gotta pick my cousin up at the hospital. She’s not well.”
“Look, kid,” Hunter pleaded. “Can’t you just give me a na—”
“It’s Max,” Max said, getting a little irritated that Hunter kept calling him kid.
“You mean her name is Max?” Hunter said, sitting up straight. “Does that stand for Maxine or something?”
“No, I mean my name is Max. Maximillian Mason. So call me Max, not kid from—”
“What did you say your last name is?” Hunter shot up from his seat, piqued upon hearing Max’s last name.
“Uh… Mason?” Max repeated, staring strangely at Hunter’s weird behavior.
“You have the same last name as someone I know,” Hunter muttered under his breath, then sat back in his seat again.
“Yeah, Mason is a pretty popular name,” Max said, ready to go.
“The woman I know is in the hospital too.” Hunter continued. And then thoughts of Clarice came swimming into his head again.
Clarice! Pregnant! The shithead who got her pregnant! All of a sudden, that anger he tried to suppress came lashing out again, and he slammed his fist on the table, alerting Max. He stared at Hunter, who had just been transformed into a wild animal who looked like he could tear through anything.
“Look, big bro, if you’re acting like you want to punch me, then I’m outta here. Clarice is waiting for me. Gotta—”
“What did you say?” Hunter grabbed ahold of Max’s hoodie before he took off again. “That name? Your cousin’s name.”
“Hey, big bro, won’t you stop that habit of yours?” Max said, breaking Hunter’s grip from his collar.
“Would you stop playing around?” Hunter was in no mood to talk about correcting his flawed behavior. He needed to know whether the Clarice he knew was actually the same Clarice as this kid’s cousin. “Give me her name. Your cousin’s name.”
“Clarice,” Max said once he managed to break free from Hunter’s grip. “My cousin’s name is Clarice.”
“You’re Clarice’s cousin? The one who works as a periodontist?” Hunter uttered in disbelief. Could the world get any smaller?
“Yeah, I am. So you do know her after all.” Max smiled. “Anyway, we don’t look alike, do we?” he said. “Well, if you don’t have any more questions, then I’m off. In fact, I’m picking up Clarice. She left me a message.”
“I’ve just been in the room with her.”
“You have?” Max asked, sitting down again, then went to pick up his discarded burger and started munching on it. “I didn’t know you were that close to her already. Is she all right?”
“She looked pale,” Hunter said, sitting down too. “I didn’t know. And she vomited too.”
“Oh, Clarice sounded sick on the phone. She needs to rest. She works too hard.”
“She’s pregnant,” Hunter said, still in shock, remembering the doctor’s news.
“Pregnant?” Max asked, spitting out the remnants of his food. “She’s pregnant?”
“Yes,” Hunter said numbly.
“She’s pregnant. Clarice is pregnant. My sweet cousin is pregnant. Hooray!” Max jumped from his seat and started doing a dance while singing, “Clarice is pregnant. Clarice is pregnant.”
“Why are you so happy?” Hunter scolded in annoyance. It looked like even this kid was happy, just like Clarice was when she hugged him and smiled at him before she collapsed. Hunter felt like he was the only one in this world who wasn’t happy with this news.
“Because it was always her wish to have a baby,” Max said as he continued to dance around their table. “Has she told you yet, Anton? Has she? Has she?”
“What?” Hunter asked, standing up. “What did you call me?”
“Huh?” Max stopped dancing and came back to Hunter, who looked so shell shocked, like he’d just seen a ghost.
“I asked what you just called me,” Hunter repeated.
“Uh… Anton.”
“The name’s Hunter, not Anton,” Hunter said, sitting down again.
And this time it was Max who looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Cou-could you repeat that again?” Max stuttered nervously as he felt his carefully constructed mosaic of Clarice, her baby, and Anton breaking into tiny pieces. “Your name, repeat your name again.”
“Hunter, Hunter Silverton,” Hunter said, taking in Max’s sudden change of attitude.
“Ho-how are you related to Anton Silverton?” Max asked quietly, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“He’s my cousin,” Hunter said.
Like a little deer about to be hit by a car, Max’s eyes shot up wit
h the realization he had once again interfered with his cousin’s life. And this time, the consequence was beyond forgiveness.
“Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” Max sank into his chair, his head in his hands. “Clarice is going to skin me alive. God, I gave her the wrong sperm. I’m just going to die now. Good-bye. I’ll just text my will to my lawyer. Yes, I’ll do that,” Max muttered to himself in his moment of sheer panic.
“Get your head together, kid,” Hunter said when he saw Max’s strange behavior. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You don’t understand. You were a mistake. I don’t even know you. I thought you were the one she was after, so that was why I tricked you into that room. Oh God, I might as well die now. I can’t face Clarice. Help me. Just bring me a noose. Let me hang myself here. I’ll text Whitney and Elise to let them know I’m moving on to the next life.”
“Max, what the hell are you on about?” Hunter asked in a panic as his frantic heartbeat chased the rhythm of his breath. “What mistake? Not the one you thought?”
“You…” Max gasped, then gave up and laid his head on the table, wailing like a little lost puppy. “Just kill me already. I can’t face Clarice.”
“Max, Jesus, get a grip, boy.” Hunter pushed Max’s head up and looked into his brown eyes. “What the hell are you talking about? Answer me.”
Max’s lips trembled slightly. “You want to find out who your mysterious goddess is?”
“Yeah.” Hunter’s eyes lit up. He would get to see her again. Inside, he felt a sudden wealth of happiness.
“She’s Clarice, my cousin.” Max spoke quietly but clearly.
Hunter was stunned speechless for a moment. “What? You mind repeating that again?” His heart beat faster now. All his focus was zoomed onto Max and those words echoing in his ears. But he was afraid he didn’t hear him properly. He needed to hear it again.
“I said your mysterious goddess is my cousin, Clarice. She’s the one that slept with you that night in Queenstown,” Max cried out. “But you don’t get it. She didn’t know it was you.”
Hunter didn’t hear anything. For the second time that day, he was in complete and total shock. First the doctor announcing to him that Clarice was pregnant, and now finding out his mysterious goddess was actually his avocado.
“But this means… this means…” Hunter couldn’t finish his sentence.
“It means you’re the father of Clarice’s baby.”
CHAPTER 26
Clarice opened her eyelids slowly. The bright light really hurt her eyes, so she closed them again. Feeling she could now adjust to the light, she slowly fluttered her eyes open again and saw Whitney’s and Elise’s worried face looking down at her.
“Clarice?” she heard Elise ask. “How are you feeling?”
“We were so worried, Clarice,” Whitney said. “Are you feeling better?”
What was wrong with her friends? Why were they staring at her like she was sick?
And then it all came back to her. The doctor, the colorful, flamboyant Dr. Flint, who had diagnosed her condition. Her condition…
She was pregnant.
Clarice jumped out of bed, her hair an untamed mess.
“Guys!” she shouted and hugged both of her friends. “I’m pregnant.”
Whitney and Elise were strangled by Clarice’s tight grip around their necks.
“Con-grat-u-la-tions,” Whitney managed to say, “but-please… let go-of-our… necks.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, guys. I’m so happy. I forgot what I was—”
Dear heavens, why does it have to be now? Clarice thought as she raced to the bathroom and vomited what little was left in her stomach into the toilet bowl, which was nothing really because she didn’t get to eat anything at all since…
Hunter, where was Hunter? Her memory came flooded back. After the doctor had told her she was pregnant, she was so happy she didn’t know what she was doing and literally stood and hugged Hunter. And it wasn’t just any normal hug; she had to smash her face in his shirt and cry her heart out like they were lovers or something.
Oh, heaven help her. What was she going to do now? She couldn’t face Hunter anymore. Not after she acted like that. She was supposed to be the adult, so why did she act like a kid, sobbing into his shirt upon hearing the news that she was pregnant?
But she was pregnant. She really was. And she was vomiting, which definitely meant “morning sickness.” Yes, she was so happy, so very, very happy.
Both Elise and Whitney came into the bathroom and started rubbing her back.
“Thanks, guys,” she said, then sat on the toilet seat.
“You need someone to look after you,” Whitney said, looking at her friend who was still as cheerful as ever, despite her sickness.
“I’m capable of looking after myself, Whitney. I’ll be fine.” Clarice brushed aside her friend’s concern. “It’s only morning sickness, after all. I’m sure I’ll get through it.”
“I’m not talking about just that. I’m talking about through your whole pregnancy. You need someone to look after you.” Whitney emphasized her point again. “You have to go on maternity leave. You have to rest a lot. You’ll be tired and moody. You need someone to care for you.” Whitney couldn’t express her concern enough, so she just reiterated the same sentiment again.
“I’m only pregnant. I’m not disabled,” Clarice said, defending herself. “I’m an adult. I’m used to living alone. I’ll be fine.”
“Have you told him yet?” Elise spoke for the first time, her thoughts in agreement with Whitney’s. For once, she wanted her friend to stop being stubborn and listen to their advice.
Clarice didn’t want to answer.
“Do you like him?” Elise rephrased her question.
“Well, I…” Clarice didn’t need to ask Elise whom she was referring to. The fact was she didn’t know how to answer. She liked Anton, but she wanted Hunter whenever he was around. Did that even make sense? Having a baby with one cousin but lusting for the other.
“Clarice, I’m asking you as a friend who cares for you dearly,” Elise said. “Have you told him yet?”
“No.” Clarice finally let out her answer.
“Why not?” Whitney asked. “You are having a baby. Have you thought of the consequences yet? This isn’t all fun and games. You have a baby inside you. You must devote all your time and energy to looking after that baby.”
The tension among the friends was evident as Clarice straightened her back and looked sharply at both women.
“Are you guys saying I’m incapable of looking after my own baby, that I need someone to help me care for my child?” Clarice said quietly, angry but most of all hurt.
“I’m not saying that, Clarice,” Whitney said. “All I’m saying is I worry about you.”
“I have Max,” Clarice pointed out.
“He doesn’t live with you,” Whitney negated her reasoning.
“He could live with me,” Clarice retorted. “Plus, Mum and Dad would visit me nearer to time too.”
“That’s not the point,” Elise said.
“Then what are you two getting at?”
“We’re worried about you at nighttime,” Whitney said. “What happens if labor begins and you can’t get in contact with us? What happens if Max is out and you can’t get in contact with him? You need to tell Anton, Clarice. It’s his right as the father.”
“But he doesn’t know anything about this. It was supposed to be just a normal transaction, a one-night stand even. I just wanted his sperm, and now I got it. So stop making me feel guilty about this whole situation.”
Clarice really thought she was suffering from constant mood swings. A minute ago, she was so mad she just wanted to turn the whole place upside down, and now she just felt this niggling annoyance with her friends.
“You didn’t ask for his permission, Clarice. It was a one-night stand that resulted in a baby. Shouldn’t he at least know he has a baby too? And if he doesn’t want the baby, then at
least we know he’s an ass,” Whitney said.
“Whitney, please, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Clarice pleaded. She could feel the arrow of guilt digging into her heart. Was she at fault here? She just wanted a baby and now she got it. That’s it. End of story. So why were her friends so damn adamant about her telling Anton?
“I think it’s a good idea,” Elise said. “It’s his right. If he rejects you, then at least you know. Plus, what are you going to tell your baby when he or she grows up? Wouldn’t your child want to know the father too?”
“And you can’t lie to your child that he was conceived through artificial insemination, because that’s just plain mean. It’s a sin to lie,” Whitney interjected before Clarice could make another excuse.
“You guys are making me feel guilty here.” Clarice gasped in exasperation.
“Just offering advice,” Whitney said, patting her shoulder.
“Enough with the advice,” Clarice snapped, then went out into the lounge to sit on the couch. “Where’s Max? I haven’t seen him at all. Shouldn’t he be here to congratulate me too? I called him from the hospital.” Clarice rambled on, hoping her friends would drop the subject of her telling Anton about their baby.
“You were sleeping the whole time we drove you home. Of course you wouldn’t remember. Max texted us to pick you up. He said he had something important to do, so he’ll see you at home,” Elise explained.
And speaking of the devil, Max walked in looking sulky, carrying bags of groceries, which was unnatural for him. It was mainly Clarice who did the shopping for him, or else her cousin would raid her fridge. So to see Max carrying bags into her house was very surprising to all three friends.
“Max, did you hear?” Clarice’s face immediately lit up upon seeing her cousin. “I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations, Clarice,” Max forced a smile and hugged his cousin. “You’ve got what you wanted. Now I’m just going to put these groceries in the fridge.” Then Max was off to the kitchen.
“That was strange. I thought he would jump for joy or something,” Clarice muttered to herself.
“Maybe he’s starting to feel the jealousy since you won’t be able to give him your full attention,” Elise said, watching Max’s retreating back.
Baby Be Mine (Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book One) Page 23
