Angel Baby

by Leslie Kelly

  “She knows how to find me.”

  “You don't know that, Claudia,” he said softly as he walked around his desk and approached her.

  “Sure I do,” she said, trying to stay calm and cool about this. Not easy to do when Chase was poking into some uncomfortable places, picking at scabs she’d hoped had been long healed.

  “As far as you know, she could have tried to reach you in Philadelphia.”

  Claudia didn’t want to listen to what Chase was saying. For the past several months, well, she had to admit, for the past several years, she had managed to use the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" on the rare occasions she thought of her family. She’d written the obligatory Christmas cards, sent gifts to her younger half-sister and brother on their birthdays, suffered through the perfunctory calls on Thanksgiving. Losing touch altogether hadn’t seemed that major a step, considering she hadn’t laid eyes on any of her family in nearly eight years.

  “Stay out of it, Chase," she said as she stood and turned her back on him.

  He didn’t acknowledge her angry comment, instead moving around to face her until the tips of his black leather dress shoes nearly met the pointy ends of her navy pumps.

  “You are too open, too caring a woman to carry a lifetime’s worth of emotional baggage and resentment around in your heart, Claude. Dump it. Move on. Make your peace and forget about it.”

  Claudia lifted her chin and said, "I could say the same for you. How much baggage are you carrying around because of your mother? Isn't she the reason you act so utterly devoid of emotion?” Her words hung heavily in the air, and she regretted them the moment they left her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That was unfair."

  "No, don't apologize. You're right," he conceded. "I'm sure a lot of the choices I've made in my life are a direct result of what happened to her. But Claudia, I'm trying to change. You of all people should see that I'm changing."

  Claudia saw in his eyes the depth of emotion he'd never spoken out loud. Suddenly, her doubts and fears of the night before didn't seem as important as the feelings she believed this man had for her. Reaching her hand up, she cupped his face and tilted her mouth toward his. He didn't hesitate and met her in a kiss as warm and deep as eternity. Claudia felt tears falling from her eyes, wetting their lips, and his fingers reached up to brush them away.

  "I love you, Claudia," he said as he moved his mouth to her hair.

  She sighed deeply, letting his words flow over her as his fingers did the same.

  "I love you, too, Chase," she admitted, knowing that no matter what happened between them, she couldn't go another moment without telling him.

  Claudia wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He remained silent, just holding her, tracing a pattern lightly on her back with the tips of his fingers. Sensitive as always to his touch, Claudia quivered as desire for him rushed through her body. Pulling away slightly, she reached for the top button of his shirt and smiled up at him as she unfastened it. Chase watched her silently, then reached up to pull her hair free of its fastener. He ran his fingers through its length, then drew her head forward to kiss her. Claudia returned his kiss hungrily.

  "That desk was a little hard last night," he muttered as he pulled her toward a leather chair.

  Claudia followed him willingly, but stopped suddenly when she heard a noise from outside the office.

  Instantly alert, Chase took a small step back and said, "Someone must still be here."

  Claudia nodded, raised a hand to her hair to straighten it, and gave him a shaky smile.

  "Maybe if we're quiet they'll go away."

  He laughed softly. "I think I'll go see who it is, just to be sure."

  Claudia followed him out of the office. Faint rustling noises came from upstairs, and Claudia could see that a light was turned on. Chase walked quietly through the dark outer office to the front staircase. Suddenly feeling a little nervous, Claudia reached out her hand and stopped him.

  "Want to turn a light on or something?" she whispered.

  He held a finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet, and she shrugged. For some reason, he didn't want the person upstairs to know they were coming.

  The top floor of the building was comprised of three offices, one for purchasing, one for accounting, and a third used as a storage area. It was the storage room, with its file cabinets and documentation, toward which Chase walked.

  Surprised that anyone would be bothering with files this late in the day, Claudia followed him into the room, then saw who’d been sneaking around.

  "Andrew," she gasped.

  They watched as Andrew Worthington immediately dropped the file he'd been reading and stared at them in disbelief. Even though he'd warned her about the other man’s true personality, Chase appeared a little surprised that Worthington would be so bold.

  "Find everything you were looking for?" Chase asked quietly, his voice a deadly calm whisper which Claudia had never heard.

  Claudia wondered what excuse Andrew would possibly offer for his obvious break-in, and could not believe it when the man straightened and smiled broadly.

  "Well, Paxton, can't blame a guy for trying, can you? I mean, come on, where's the harm? It's not like I'm stealing anything here."

  Claudia saw Chase's fingers curl into fists at his sides. Knowing he was about to leap on the other man, she grabbed his arm and said, "No, Chase, let's just call the police."

  Andrew seemed to notice her presence for the first time. Claudia saw his eyes narrow as he glanced toward her mussed hair and her partially unbuttoned blouse. His mouth tensed in anger for a moment, then a sly expression settled on his face. He smiled intimately at her.

  "Guess the jig is up, Claude. I thought you said you could keep him distracted this evening."

  Claudia gasped and immediately released Chase's sleeve.

  "You lying bastard," Chase said as he strode across the room and grabbed Andrew by the collar of his perfectly tailored suit jacket.

  "Hey, man, what can I say?" Andrew said with an insinuating laugh. "You caught us. I needed a way into your files again after you fired Theresa, who’d been helping me out before. Claudia needed a job. She gave me a key, and I'll admit it, I've been taking a look at what's going on for a couple of months."

  Chase glanced toward the key lying on the table in the middle of the room. Then he looked at Claudia.

  "No," she moaned.

  "Hey, he can't do anything, Claudia," Andrew continued, smiling at her with such sincerity it made her sick. "If he turns us in, he's just going to look like a jealous guy who let a woman turn him into a fool."

  Claudia raised a hand to her mouth and stared in shock at the two men. Andrew sounded so utterly convincing, so charming in his web of lies. Chase glanced toward her, but Claudia couldn't bear to see the accusation on his face. With a dismayed sob, she turned and rushed from the room.

  "Claudia, wait!" he called after her.

  Ignoring him, she ran out of the building.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Claudia found herself sitting in a booth at the Duck Bill Café, absently stirring a cup of coffee and watching the swirl of cream dissolve in it. She'd been sitting, hiding, for more than an hour, wondering where Chase was and what he was thinking. "He couldn't believe that of me," she whispered out loud.

  But she knew he could. After all, Chase Paxton had never trusted anyone in his life. So why would he begin with her? Not five minutes after finally opening his heart and admitting he loved her, he saw what he would have to construe as proof that she'd betrayed him.

  "That damned key," she said aloud.

  Of course, there was no doubt about how Andrew had gotten the key. He'd had a messenger return her purse to her yesterday, and her keys had been in it, but there was absolutely no reason he couldn't have made copies of every single one.

  She had to make Chase see the truth. There was no way she could stand letting him believe she'd used him, betrayed him. Even if nothing cou
ld come of the love she felt for him, she would not allow him to question his own feelings for her. He'd come so far, had finally opened his heart, and she wouldn't let the accusations of a miserable spoiled man like Andrew Worthington ruin that.

  Knowing her friends would be wondering why she hadn’t come to pick-up Sarah yet, she pulled out her cell phone and called Melanie, assuring her she was just fine.

  "Claude, where are you?" Melanie asked. "Chase called and he sounded very upset."

  Claudia bit her lip. "I'm on my way to his house now, Mel. Please, could you keep Sarah for me? I don't know how long it will take, but I have to find Chase and make things right with him."

  Melanie asked for an explanation, and Claudia promised her one at a later time.

  "Right now," she insisted, "I've got to go."

  After asking Melanie to give Sarah a kiss from her, Claudia hung up, then called for a cab. Ten minutes later, she was on her way to Chase's house.

  After she’d arrived and paid the driver, she walked up the steps to his front door and rang the bell. Since his truck wasn't parked in the driveway, she wasn't surprised that there was no answer. Squaring her shoulders, she tugged at a loose brick under the front window and took the spare key from its hiding place. Chase had shown it to her the weekend before, and she was grateful he had. At least she'd be able to sit inside where it was warm as she waited for him. They had some talking to do. One way or another, she would make him understand and would make sure he didn’t regret finally opening up his heart to her. Because of everything that could happen, thinking that Chase would go back to feeling like he could never allow himself to get too close to someone, was the one thing that most broke her heart.

  "Guess I am really breaking the law now," she muttered as she let herself into his quiet house.

  Not flipping on any lights, she made her way through the downstairs and sat down in the living room to wait.

  She wasn’t leaving, not if she had to sit there all night long.

  Chase sat in Claudia's living room, waiting for the phone to ring, or for her to walk in the door. She did neither.

  "Where are you?" he asked out loud.

  She'd disappeared so quickly. As soon as she ran out of the office, and Chase realized she'd thought he'd believed Andrew's absurd accusations, Chase had let the other man go and chased after her. He didn't care that Andrew probably slipped out behind him and would deny the entire incident. All that mattered was finding Claudia and telling her he knew she would never betray him.

  Finding her had been easier said than done. He'd called Melanie and his grandmother, and neither had heard from her. Finally, desperate, he'd gone to the cottage to wait for her, determined to sit there if it took all night.

  But he wasn't a very patient man. He paced the confines of Claudia's small living room, flipped on the TV then abruptly turned it off again. Finally, after more than an hour, he went to the phone and called Melanie again.

  "She's where?" he asked.

  "She said she was going to your house, Chase. I'm sure she's there by now."

  Chase dropped the phone without even bothering to hang it up.

  Claudia sat in the darkness for what seemed like forever but what was probably only about twenty minutes. "Where is he?" she muttered out loud, fearing the worst, that he was at the police station filling out a report about her alleged involvement in Andrew's break-in.

  Calling herself an idiot for thinking so negatively, she realized she was starving and wandered into the kitchen. She turned on the overhead light and grabbed a box of crackers out of the pantry. Leaving the box on the counter, she turned to get a glass, then noticed the items on the kitchen table.

  "What on earth..." she said aloud as she walked across the room.

  A roll of wrapping paper sat on the table, next to a large open box. Brightly colored, the paper showed little angelic babies, surrounded by balloons and birthday candles. Claudia suddenly realized Chase had left Sarah's birthday gift here on the table.

  Her gaze slid to the box. She saw tufts of tissue paper padding all sides, and in the center, the top of a wooden head. Claudia lifted her hand hesitantly.

  "What have you done?" she whispered out loud as she reached into the box, removing the gift he'd been preparing to wrap for her child.

  It was an angel. Wonderingly, Claudia lifted the heavy wooden carving toward her face, taking in the intricate detail of each feather of the angel's wings. The piece probably stood eight inches tall, a solid piece of mellow aged oak, and was so heartbreakingly lovely it hurt her to look at it. Her eyes studied the tips of the angel's wings then looked into the adoring face, so perfect, so beautiful in its loving expression.

  No lovely gentle Madonna, this angel was a male, strong and silent.

  A father.

  And in his arms, a baby. Claudia saw the joy on the face of the child the angel held, her tiny arms reaching up toward the light of his face.

  "Oh, Chase," Claudia whispered aloud.

  Claudia felt the tears well in her eyes and sat heavily on a chair, careful to hold tight to the precious gift. She could not imagine how many hours it must have taken Chase to create it. But she knew instantly what it meant.

  "He's giving you your Daddy, Sarah," she whispered.

  Chase was showing Sarah how much her father loved her, how much he would always love her, even though he was gone.

  And only out of deep love for the child himself would Chase have been able to create such a work of art for her baby.

  "Claudia?"

  Lowering her hands to place the carving on the table, Claudia closed her eyes and dropped her head forward. Chase's touch on her shoulder was as light and fleeting as a breath of air, yet it gave her strength and filled her with warmth. Looking up into his eyes, she saw the usual tenderness, and, still, the love.

  She was standing and in his arms instantly. "Please, tell me you don't believe I was helping that ass."

  She didn't need to hear the words. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know, but he gave them to her anyway.

  "No, I never for a moment believed that of you."

  He tilted her head back and his eyes traveled over her skin, making sure she was all right, frowning at her tears before he bent to press a soft kiss on her lips.

  "Chase, the angel," she said haltingly. "I didn't mean to pry, but I couldn't help seeing it. It's exquisite."

  Chase glanced at the table where she'd left the angel, then looked into her eyes.

  "It's from the heart," he whispered. "You and Sarah mean more than life to me. I love you. I want you. I need you to love me always. I want to be your husband, and I want to be Sarah's father."

  Hearing him say the words out loud, Claudia felt the familiar tightening in her heart. After all these years, after being so sure she could never trust anyone with her child, it was very difficult to admit she'd been wrong.

  “When Joe died," she said hesitantly, "no, long before that, before I ever thought of being married and having children, I made a vow. I promised myself, Chase, when I was a young girl, I swore that I would never put anyone before any child of mine. Then, after Sarah was born, it became even more incomprehensible to me that my mother could have made the choices she made. I promised Sarah, and Joe, that I would never put her in the position of feeling rejected, unwanted, and unloved. I thought I would rather raise her by myself then ever inflict that on her."

  Claudia felt Chase's body grow tense against hers.

  "But I was wrong."

  Chase tightened his arms around her and kissed her temple. Claudia felt all the anxiety slide out of her body, and out of his. She felt, certain she was right, trusting the feelings guiding her to risk everything she truly loved on a future she'd never imagined.

  "I never dreamed love like this would happen to me. Never imagined I would trust anyone with my life...with my child's life. But I do. You fill my heart. I want to be with you; I want the three of us to be a family."

  C
hase slid his hands up her body and cupped each side of her face, touching her in what felt to Claudia like adoration.

  "We've been a family for a year already. It just took us this long to figure it out."

  Smiling, she rose to meet his mouth with hers again. Their kiss was soft and sweet, as gentle as an angel’s wings. When it ended, Claudia whispered, “I love you, Chase Paxton.”

  “And I love you.” He tightened his arms around her. “Thank you for not only making me feel that love…but also for convincing me I deserve it.”

  EPILOGUE

  Two Years Later

  “I’m not going to make it.”

  “Yes, you are, sweetheart, just keep breathing,” Chase said as he reached over and grasped Claudia’s hand. She squeezed him back tightly, compressing his fingers until he felt they were being twisted like pretzel sticks. Chase found himself breathing with her, two pants and a blow, watching out the corner of his eye, waiting for her to take the deep cleansing breath at the end of the contraction. That cleansing breath was taking longer than usual, indicating a longer contraction. He pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. “We’re only ten minutes from the hospital, Claude.”

  He couldn’t believe this was happening. Again. They’d been so careful all during Claudia’s pregnancy, calculating her due date with precision, getting him a dedicated beeper so he’d be able to be reached at a moment’s notice when she went into labor. Getting her promise that she wouldn’t go anywhere by herself the past few weeks. How could they ever have guessed she’d sleep through most of her labor?

  “Hurry up, Chase...I mean it,” Claudia muttered as she relaxed back into the seat.

  “Okay, okay, just a few blocks now.”

  “Why does this always happen to me?” Claudia wailed.

  Chase shook his head, unable to answer. He’d been asking himself the same question for the past forty minutes, ever since Claudia had shaken him awake to tell him she was in heavy labor. Thankfully, Dorien was staying at the house with them as Claudia neared her due date. They’d gently awakened her, told her they were leaving for the hospital and left her in charge of Sarah.