“Mmm.” Whitney eyed his strange behavior. Something wasn’t right and she needed to get to the bottom of this.
Max, on the other hand, reached the kitchen, dropped the grocery bags, and sank all the way to the floor, cradling himself in a fetal position.
“Forgive me, cuz. I’ve interfered in your life again.”
* * *
“Why did you buy so many fruits and vegetables? You want to turn me into a herbivore?” Clarice asked her cousin when she started helping unpack the groceries Max bought for her. And then her eyes grew even larger when she unloaded three bags of red gala apples. “I don’t remember ever telling you I like apples that much,” Clarice remarked.
Max didn’t want to tell Clarice that it had been Hunter who’d forced him to go grocery shopping with him. When Hunter realized he was the father of Clarice’s baby, he just got up from his seat and announced they were going shopping, without showing any kind of emotion. And that’s how he ended up with all these fruits and vegetables. Before he parted ways with Hunter, he’d even drummed into his ears that he must tell Clarice to eat all those fruits and vegetables, especially the apples, and had given him a note regarding the research on apples too.
“Well?” Clarice asked, disrupting his thoughts.
“I thought you might like to eat some fruits and vegetables since you’re pregnant now,” Max uttered, looking away, knowing he was lying again.
“How did you know I was pregnant before I even told you?”
“Elise texted me before you woke.”
“But I just told Elise after I woke up.”
Shit, how am I supposed to answer that?
“It doesn’t matter. Just know that I know. Here, you have to eat this apple.” Max thrust an apple in front of Clarice’s face. “It’s good for you and the baby. Studies have shown that... uh… wait.” Max dug into his jeans pocket and extracted the note Hunter gave to him about his research on apples and pregnancy, then read it aloud. “It reduces the chance of your baby wheezing because of asthma,” Max mumbled, looking away again. God, the guilt. It was eating him alive.
Clarice smiled. “You really care for me, don’t you? Going all out to buy me three bags of apples so I can eat well, plus doing extensive research on apples to make sure I benefit during my pregnancy. Thanks so much, you little rascal,” Clarice said, hugging him.
Max was crushed in his cousin’s hug. He didn’t move, but just let her continue to squeeze him. He was so ashamed of himself, so upset and so guilty. Inside, he prayed all would work out between Hunter and Clarice, because he had a strong feeling Hunter really cared for his cousin.
* * *
That night, Clarice lay in bed, rubbing her stomach.
“I know you’re only an embryo right now, but thank you for choosing me as your birth mother. I promise I’ll look after you, even if you’ve been conceived without the permission of your father.”
Then what her friends said to her earlier that evening came back to haunt her. What if her child did want to know who the father was? She knew she couldn’t lie. Maybe it was best to contact Anton and tell him the truth. If he did reject her, then it wouldn’t matter, since she was prepared to raise her child alone anyway. But if he accepted her situation, then maybe she could learn to love him. But she couldn’t help thinking about the other cousin, the other cousin who had kissed her.
Clarice reflected on the events that had transpired that day. From first thing in the morning when she’d fantasized about kissing Hunter, to being carried by Hunter because she couldn’t walk due to her sore feet, to finding out Hunter was the other Silverton heir, to Hunter sitting next to her during lunch, and then to hugging Hunter when she found out she was pregnant.
Oh, what was she to do with her heart? It began to beat for Hunter and for Hunter alone.
CHAPTER 27
This was utterly and undeniably stupid. Hunter had officially become a stalker, adopting the old-fashioned style of trailing his prey. Even worse, he had to disguise himself as an old blind man, complete with sunglasses and a walking cane. Not to mention the wig he’d bought from the party store. It continued to itch his skull like a plague of swarming locusts. He just wanted to throw the damn thing away.
So she wanted to confess that much, right? Hunter seethed in anger. Over his dead body. She had absolutely no right to date another guy when he, the father of her child, was hiding outside between the many bushes, stalking her, staring at her making googly eyes with his cousin inside the restaurant. His eyes were about to drop out of their sockets.
It had all began after the hospital visit when Hunter and Max had accidently met. Hunter couldn’t control his curiosity when Max told him it was his own cousin she had wanted. So that was what it was? All that time, she was pinning after his cousin. Well, she wasn’t going to get him. What a devil she was, pregnant with his baby and still trying to seduce Anton. So Hunter had blackmailed Max into helping him stop Clarice. Hence, they came up with this elaborate plan at the grocery store, where he had forced Max to carry all the many fruits and vegetables he’d bought for Clarice.
He couldn’t understand why he needed to stop her, though. Maybe it was his conscience. It was his baby after all. He felt a sense of responsibility. Plus, there was also the fact his avocado was his goddess, which really drummed it in for him. Now he understood why every time he dreamed about his faceless goddess, it ended up being Clarice. And also, there was the added bonus that if he could stop her confession, she might look his way and maybe sleep with him again so he could sleep soundly for once.
Yeah, keep thinking that, Hunter. Because even he couldn’t understand this foreign feeling developing inside him. Truth be told, Clarice was the first woman he truly paid any attention to; heck, he’d even volunteered to stoop as low as dressing as an old blind man just to stop her.
And then there was Fern, who had accidently seen him coming out of the party store with a bag full of accessories. She was curious and asked him for the whole story, not relenting until he told her everything, except for the pregnancy bit. He wasn’t ready to spread the news just yet. But now she wanted to join in the fun too. Although, Hunter hadn’t a clue as to what Fern’s intentions were.
Fern realized she couldn’t have Anton getting close to Clarice, since every time Anton was near Clarice, or Caroline for that matter, she experienced a niggling jealousy sprouting within her. She wanted Anton to notice her, and having the other girls near him, he would always neglect her. Although, she would never hate Clarice—the girl was such a kind soul—but that Caroline, no way in hell would she let Anton be with her.
“Are you going to just hide in that bush and stalk her or are you going to take action, big bro?” Max asked, ruffling the bushes.
“Fern says if you two continue to hide behind that bush, someone will find it suspicious and call the police,” Fern said, laying a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.
“Jesus, Fern.” Hunter glared at his friend. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” He turned back to Clarice and Anton, his eyes glued to the scene as they smiled at each other right before him. “Don’t sneak up on people like that. You were supposed to wait in the car until I signaled for you.”
“Fern is too granny. You’re in here too, so you’d be dragged along with us. And stop talking in third person. If you want Anton and Clarice to believe in your character, you have to act the part,” Max said.
“Fe—I got it.” Fern nodded to Max.
“Good. Are we ready, then?” Max asked.
“Yeah, but you go first since you’re the grandson,” Hunter urged Max.
“All right, watch the pro.” Max smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, ready for some good acting. He then donned his dark sunglasses. “This is how you act.” He came out of the bushes, and with his cool gait that he’d perfected in the mirror all last night, he walked to the entrance of the restaurant.
“Wait!” Hunter jumped out of the bush and pulled Max back by the collar.
“
What?” Max scolded, turning to face Hunter. “I’m about to perform some magic here.”
“Can’t you just tone your outfit down a bit?” Hunter whispered, staring at Max’s long black wig, baggy jeans, and oversized hoodie. “Why do you have to wear that wig? You look like a punk.”
“Yeah? And you’re supposed to be a blind old man so shut up and act like a good blind grandpa would,” Max said just to irritate Hunter.
The truth to the long black wig was he was obsessed with his favourite anime show, No.6. He wanted to be like Rat, with his long black hair tied back in a ponytail. What harm was there in donning your favourite anime character in your daily life anyway? It was only cosplay. It just spiced up his life even more. And God knows how he’d prepared for this day. He’d been practicing his Rat persona since they’d concocted their plan at the grocery store. Now he had to get back in character all over again.
“You rascal.” Hunter seethed. “Wait until we finish this—”
“Grandpa, here we are,” Max shouted loudly, announcing their presence.
Clarice and Anton stared casually at the three strange patrons. With all three wearing sunglasses in the restaurant, they looked like three blind mice standing at the front entrance.
Clarice saw the old man with grayish-white hair, wearing dark shades, with a walking cane, his back bent a bit as if he’d suffered from arthritis throughout his hard years. Beside him was a kid, about Max’s age, wearing sunglasses too, with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He looked almost half Asian. Then there was the woman. It was so hard to determine her real age, but the grey hair gave off an old vibe. She looked very high class based on her clothes, from her Prada heels to her one-piece dress by Dolce and Gabbana and her Gucci handbag. The old lady exuded elegance, but again, she wore sunglasses like the rest of her family, the lenses so large it was hard to distinguish any facial features. They were a strange family, yet they reminded her of someone, especially that blind old man and that young guy.
“Strange family, aren’t they?” Anton voiced her opinion out loud.
“Mmm.” Clarice smiled, watching the eccentric group still standing at the door.
Clarice didn’t know for sure because of their large, dark glasses covering their eyes, but she had an uncomfortable feeling that all three directed their stares in her and Anton’s direction. Even stranger, when the waitress tried to seat them, they refused outright and opted to seat themselves right next to their table instead.
Clarice turned back to her meal, having seen enough of the strange family. She had a more important task to deal with right now. Her heart drummed a frantic beat. This is it. She must tell Anton about their baby. She didn’t know if he would be pleased. Heavens, he might not even remember that night in Queenstown at all.
It was all her friends’ fault for beating into her head that she needed to tell him. The guilt was eating her alive. She finally succumbed and phoned Anton to have a private meeting during one of this lunch breaks. It was best to clear the air. Then she wouldn’t feel guilty or regret anything. Now here she was, perspiration dotting her forehead at the impending event about to unfold before her.
“Anton, I—”
“Would you pass me the salt, Cory?” Hunter shouted.
Clarice glanced to the table next to them again, unable to finish her sentence. They spoke like they were also deaf.
“What, Ojiisan? I can’t hear you. Speak louder,” Max shouted across the table, adding in the Japanese word for grandpa for effect.
“How loud must they speak?” Anton muttered under his breath. “They sound like they’re using a microphone already.”
Clarice just smiled and leaned her face closer to Anton’s, then whispered, “I think they’re a cute family, don’t you?”
“Cane, where’s my cane, Cory?” the old man shouted. “I feel like hitting someone in the head. I can’t help it.”
Hunter was gritting his teeth. What the hell was wrong with her? Trying to kiss his cousin right in front of him. So she wanted to confess to his cousin so much that she’d even resorted to kissing him right in front of the man who fathered her baby. No way would he allow it. And Anton, his cousin, he was smiling like the cat who’d just been given a grand prize rat. If only he had that cane in his hand right now, he would bonk the hell out of his cousin’s head. “I said where’s my cane?” Hunter shouted even louder, angry, as he watched Clarice smiling at Anton.
“Obaasan, help Ojiisan with his cane. I’m busy drinking my lemon juice,” Max shouted to Fern, who was sitting closer to Anton.
Fern was also seething through her teeth when she saw Anton and Clarice this close. How was her plan going to work if his attention was elsewhere? She didn’t blame Clarice for attracting him, but it was Anton she wasn’t happy with. So she picked up Hunter’s cane and poked Anton in the ribs.
“Oowww,” Anton growled, turning to the high-fashion grey-haired lady. Anton, being the sensible one, only stared at the old lady and forced a polite smile, though his face was flustered. But he thought it must be an accident. She must have eye problems like her husband.
“I think your husband is on the other side of the table,” Anton said.
“Oh, Fe—I… I… thank you, young man,” Fern said. That was a close one. She almost spoke in third person again.
“Cory, where’s my cane?” Hunter wanted to laugh his head off. He’d never seen Anton so flustered before, especially staring at Fern dressed up as an old woman. Then he thought of an idea. He wobbled out of his chair and pretended to find his way to the cane while grumbling to Max. He knew where he was going since he could see perfectly well, but when he reached Clarice’s table, he…
“Ahhhhh.” Hunter cried out and fell. “Help me.”
And where did he fall? Right onto Clarice, where his head nestled nicely on her lap.
Oh hell! Hunter thought. It was damn comfortable. Even his extra soft custom-made pillow at home didn’t provide that much cushion to support his head. Damn, how was he supposed to sleep on his pillow from now on?
“Sir?” He heard her speak, shaking him from his comfort.
“Good God, Grandpa?” Anton said, coming around to Clarice’s side. “Are you all right?”
I’m fine down here. In fact, I’m enjoying my time very much, so leave me alone. Hunter kept silent as he felt his cousin heaving him up. But he wanted to stay in this position a little longer, so he put all his energy into trying to make himself as heavy as possible so Anton would give up his task.
“Good God!” he heard Anton say. “This grandpa is heavy.”
Hunter couldn’t help but smile a sneaky smile.
“It’s all right, Anton,” Clarice said, smiling.
Clarice looked at the old man in her lap. She felt a connection with him she couldn’t describe. She felt she could trust this man. This was odd because he was just a stranger. Maybe she had this trust for him because he was blind. Her hands itched to caress that rough stubble forming on his chin.
This old man was contradictory in all aspects. The blind man had grey-white hair, which was the normal pigmentation for most elderly people, but his skin looked so youthful, like that of a man in his early twenties. Perhaps she needed another eye surgery. But to appease her curiosity, she lightly stroked that cheek.
Hunter just wanted to purr like a cat. Why did Clarice have to touch his cheek? Her finger pads felt just right when they grazed his rough stubble. He could get used to that every morning.
Fern, who was on the other side, saw the whole fiasco and understood immediately what Hunter was doing, so with the goal of helping her friend, she pretended to walk with the fake old lady’s gait and when she got near Anton, she swooned right into his arms. Except she miscalculated her distance and fell onto the chair instead and accidently hit her forehead on the corner in the process.
“Ow!” God, that hurts. Immediately, Anton came to her side and rescued her from her embarrassing situation, which put a smile on her face again.
<
br /> “Grandma, are you okay?” Anton asked in a worried tone, Clarice all forgotten with the grandpa sleeping on her lap.
“My weak knees,” she said as she rested her head against Anton’s shoulder when he picked her up. “They’re playing up again.”
Max, who was busy sipping his lemon drink, watched the whole hilarious scenario. It was so entertaining that he almost choked on his drink when began laughing.
On one side was Hunter, trying to gain Clarice’s attention by pretending to fall and then practically falling asleep on his cousin’s lap. On the other side was Fern, acting like she was a damsel in distress by swooning on her Prince Charming. God, he should pull out his iPhone and film the whole scene just to watch again and again. And then out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a waiter approaching them. Oh shit. Game over. He had to get them out of there fast.
“Oh, I think my grandma and grandpa aren’t feeling well. They must be suffering from their love sickness,” Max said, standing up. “Please excuse them.”
This comment made Fern and Hunter snap up their heads. Hunter woke from his delirium and simply rose out of Clarice’s lap, and Fern seemed to have the strength in her legs to stand again. Hooking his arms around the two people, Max led them out door again, a perfect exit for a strange family.
Hunter gritted his teeth. What was Max on about? He was trying to stop Clarice from confessing to Anton she was pregnant with his baby. He was merely trying to save her and his cousin from utter humiliation. Plus, he wanted to sleep with her so he could get a good night’s sleep again.
“Why did you lead me out? I was distracting Clarice.”
“And you did your job perfectly well, big bro. So let’s finish here,” Max said.
“Why?” Hunter asked again.
“Because the waiter was about to approach us. I can’t have Clarice finding out it’s me who’s helping you. I’ll be dead meat before I even get through my growth spurt.”
Baby Be Mine (Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book One) Page 24
